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Pathfinder 2 easy Tree

REFLECTION

VERSATILE HERITAGE

RARE

REFLECTION

Stories of malevolent duplicates are commonly told around campfires to frighten companions. In these tales, the

duplicate forms after a botched ritual or exposure to a mysterious artifact, and is bent on replacing the creature they’ve replicated. Most believe such stories to be only that, but such reflection duplicates are real. While some wish to replace their progenitors, others merely want to forge a new life for themselves where no one knows of their origins.

Methods of their creation vary, but all reflections are duplicates of someone else existing in the world. Some are drawn out from literal mirrors, developing a life of their own once set free from the Echoing Pale. Mirror-focused rituals or spells can create independent reflections, whether deliberately or accidentally, as can the magical hazard known as a darkside mirror, which replaces those looking into it with malicious duplicates. Some reflections are created as magical clones by spellcasters, only to turn on their creators or be left adrift, while others arise from polymorph magic gone wrong.

If you want a character who seeks to forge their own identity in the face of their duplicate nature, with a strong tie to another character somewhere out there in the world, you should play a reflection.

YOU MIGHT...

  • Feel as though you’re just an out-of-place imitation.
  • Want to keep your nature a secret from everyone except trusted companions.
  • Be extremely dedicated to your friends or anyone who gives you a sense of community.

OTHERS PROBABLY...

  • Don’t realize your true nature as a copy.
  • Expect you to be plotting a nefarious fate for your progenitor.
  • Are wary of or intrigued by your unusual abilities.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

A reflection’s physical appearance almost exactly matches their progenitor’s. In mirror-risen reflections, their appearance is reversed, so details such as scars are on the opposite side. Other reflections often have a swirled mark somewhere on their bodies, appearing as a tattoo or birthmark. Reflections are typically indistinguishable from a regular member of that ancestry.

SOCIETY

As duplicates of others, and ones that appear only in rare circumstances, reflections have no inherent society of their own. Many reflections have a degree of existential angst, struggling to find somewhere they feel they belong and won’t be identified as a “fake.” A reflection’s greatest (though not necessarily best) bond is usually to their progenitor. Progenitors and their reflections are sometimes aware of each other, with some progenitors taking their reflection under their wing, which often grants the reflection a greater sense of community.

ALIGNMENT AND RELIGION

Despite the tales, not all reflections are malevolent. Reflections formed from darkside mirrors are always evil, but others usually have either the alignment of their progenitor or the exact opposite one—many good-aligned reflections arise from the nefarious experiments of an evil alchemist or spellcaster. Most reflections are wary of religion, but those who adhere to a faith are typically extremely devout.

FINAL USURPATION

If your progenitor is deceased, you might be able to take over their life. It might require a special ritual and other activities taking 1 week, as you take over your progenitor’s lodgings, activities, relationships, and so on. Once you finish, provided no creature has successfully identified you as an impostor, the memories of everyone who knew or interacted with your progenitor are altered, so they forget your progenitor’s usual personality and behavior in favor of yours, and you no longer risk discovery for acting out of character for them. You belong now.

TABLE 2: REFLECTION ANCESTRY FEATS
Level 1 Reflection Feats (Lineages) Prerequisites Benefits
Clone-RisenDA — You were formed from a clone ritual or alchemical experiment.
Mirror-RisenDA — You were created from magic involving mirrors and still retain some ability to seek refuge in reflected illusions.
Morph-RisenDA — You were once a shapeshifter or spellcaster using polymorph magic, but something went wrong, and you became trapped in the form of the creature you were imitating.
Level 1 Reflection Feats Prerequisites Benefits
rLet’s Try That AgainSG-04 — You feel a sense of deja vu when you’ve made a mistake, almost as if you weren’t so careless in a past life and could certainly do better if given another chance.
rLike a RoachSG-04 — Living with the bare necessities isn’t terribly hard for someone who has defied death, and like a cockroach, you always know how to survive.
Progenitor LoreDA — You didn’t just inherit your physical form from your progenitor; you also retained some of their knowledge.
Warped ReflectionDA — Due to your origins, your form is more flexible than most.
rWeight of ExperienceSG-04 — The experience you’ve accumulated over multiple lifetimes envelops you like a weighted blanket, providing comfort and bestowing confidence under pressure.
rWisdom From Another LifeSG-04 — You absorbed a wide variety of facts before you died, and your soul still remembers slivers of this precious knowledge.
Level 5 Reflection Feats Prerequisites Benefits
rAnimal Soul SiblingsSG-04 — Your eyes have been opened to the spiritual essence suffusing the world.
rEmpathy IncarnateSG-04 — Reincarnation has given you a compassionate perspective and enabled you to relate to almost everyone you speak with, putting them at ease and quickly generating trust.
rFey InfluenceLOIL — You have been exposed to powerful fey magic.
rI’Ve Had Many JobsSG-04 — Finding and excelling at odd jobs is child’s play to one who has worked many occupations during many lives.
Mistaken IdentityDA — You feel a strong connection with your progenitor and can convince yourself an effect targeting your mind was meant for theirs instead, allowing you to shrug off harmful effects.
Reflective PocketDA Mirror-Risen You’ve formed a connection with a small hand mirror, allowing you to use it as an extradimensional storage space.
rReincarnated RidiculerSG-04 — You’ve practiced the art of taunting an enemy, ensuring they know death will only make you stronger.
ReplicateDA Clone-Risen You’ve learned to reshape your malleable form.
rSleep of the RebornSG-04 — Philosophers compare the cycle of life, death, and rebirth to sleeping, dreaming, and waking.
Warp LikenessDA Morph-Risen You channel some of your own nature through your blow, temporarily warping your target’s form to resemble your own.
Level 9 Reflection Feats Prerequisites Benefits
rDrain EmotionLOIL Fey Influence You touch an adjacent creature and attempt to draw out its excess emotion.
rFey AscensionLOIL Fey Influence The fey influence on your form and features grows even more powerful and notable.
rLingering EchoesSG-04 — Not everyone is reincarnated, and you feel a strong connection with the spiritual echoes of those who didn’t receive the same opportunity as you.
Mirror RefugeDA Mirror-Risen Your origin in the space behind mirrors enables you to use a mirror as a hideaway, like the spell meld into stone.
rPlant Soul SiblingsSG-04 Animal Soul Siblings You’re now able to connect with the spirits present in the greenery of the natural world.
rRapid RetrainingSG-04 — Some feel trapped by their choices and have a tough time reinventing themselves.
Two TruthsDA master in Deception Your ability to imitate your progenitor is so strong, you can even convince yourself.
Unyielding DisguiseDA ability to cast humanoid form or illusory disguise When you cast humanoid form or illusory disguise to alter your appearance, the spell’s duration is 2 hours.
rYou Seem Somewhat FamiliarSG-04 — You fought hundreds of foes in your various past lives, and now and then, something about a new opponent tugs at your memory, almost as if you defeated their grandparent long ago.
Level 13 Reflection Feats Prerequisites Benefits
rCannibalize MagicLOIL Fey Influence The fey magic inside of you is a vital part of your body, and you can steal other sources of magic to replenish yours.
rClinging to LifeSG-04 — This life still holds much for you, and you aren’t ready to fall back into the River of Souls just yet.
rEldritch CalmLOIL Fey Influence Your fey heritage has altered your mindset to more resemble the uncanny perspective of the fey.
rGlamourLOIL Fey Influence You unlock a new level of fey power and can manipulate the perceptions of others using a font of First World magic.
rI Sense MalevolenceSG-04 — Your time in theRiver of Souls has given you deep insight into the machinations of those who refuse to move on.
rLinguistic RevivalSG-04 — You achieved fluency in different languages with each reincarnation, and your brain remembers much of the grammar, idioms, and obscenities that you spouted in old lives.
Malleable FormDA ability to cast at least one polymorph spell You adroitly shift your form, taking on another appearance.
rPain Is TemporarySG-04 — Sangpotshi practitioners know that suffering is a fleeting sensation that ultimately strengthens the soul and prepares it for a new reincarnation.
Redirect AttentionDA — Through your strong connection with your progenitor, you’re able to redirect those attempting to spy on you.
rStone Soul SiblingsSG-04 Plant Soul Siblings Your connection with nature’s spirits has progressed to the point where you can even have casual conversation with pebbles and boulders.
rUnbreakable ResolveSG-04 — The experience of coming back after death has granted you a strong sense of resolve; devilish words, slick spells, and conniving trickery can’t easily catch you off guard.
Level 17 Reflection Feats Prerequisites Benefits
rBoneyard AcquaintanceSG-04 — Before your soul returned to the Material Plane, you interacted with a host of other souls on their way to the Boneyard.
rFey TranscendenceLOIL Fey Influence You become a powerful fey creature, gaining strengths tied to the First World but also some of the weakness against which all fey must contend.
rIndomitable SpiritSG-04 — Your soul has accumulated countless particles of quintessence over myriad deaths and rebirths, and for one moment, this raw material from the Great Beyond envelops you and your comrades.
Reflect FoeDA — You create a copy of a foe by calling them forth from a nearby reflection, clonally growing them in an instant from one of your hairs or otherwise creating them in a way that matches your own nature as a reflection.
rRelease the LightSG-04 — Many people report seeing a bright light before their death.
rSee You in HellSG-04 — You aren’t sure if you’ll be reincarnated again, so you might as well take this foe with you.
rThis Time, Bring the BodySG-04 — Death sends a soul into the River of Souls.