Your specialization represents your primary area of expertise. Pick one operative specialization upon taking your 1st level of the operative class. Once made, this choice cannot be changed. Your specialization grants you the Skill Focus feat in your specialization’s associated skills, and you gain a free skill rank in each of those skills at each operative level (this does not allow you to exceed the maximum number of skill ranks in a single skill).

You can trick or startle a foe and then attack when she drops her guard. As a full action, you can move up to your speed. Whether or not you moved, you can then make an attack with a melee weapon with the operative special property or with any small arm. Just before making your attack, attempt a Bluff, Intimidate, or Stealth check (or a check associated with your specialization; see page 94) with a DC equal to 20 + your target’s CR. If you succeed at the check, you deal 1d4 additional damage and the target is flat-footed. This damage increases to 1d8 at 3rd level, to 3d8 at 5th level, and by an additional 1d8 every 2 levels thereafter. You can’t use this ability with a weapon that has the unwieldy special property or that requires a full action to make a single attack.

As part of the process that led you to become a solarian, you gained additional insight and training. Choose two additional skills and add them to your list of class skills.

At 1st level, you gain a physical manifestation of your stellar power. The base form of your solar manifestation, when not actively in use, is a mote of stellar energy slightly smaller than your fist that hovers near your head. Beyond the solar mote, your manifestation can take one of two additional forms: armor or a weapon. You must pick one solar manifestation (either armor or a weapon) upon taking your first level of solarian. You also choose whether your solar manifestation (in any form) either glows brightly with one color common to stars (including blue, red, white, or yellow) or is the perfect darkness of a black hole. A glowing solar manifestation, regardless of its form, sheds dim light in a 20-foot radius. You can shut off the light or darkness as a standard action in order to blend in or assist in stealth, but whenever you enter a stellar mode (see page 102), the glow or darkness returns immediately. Once made, these choices cannot be changed.

Only you can interact with your solar manifestation, whether in mote, armor, or weapon form. No other creature or effect can affect your solar manifestation in any way, including disarming or sundering it.

Solar Armor

You can form your solar mote into a suit of armor made out of stellar energy that outlines your body. This armor appears to be made out of glowing light or solid darkness, as determined by the appearance of your solar manifestation, but it can take whatever general shape you choose, whether glowing armored plates of solidified stellar energy, a form-fitting suit of crackling energy, or an aura of stellar plasma. Your solar armor’s general design has no impact on its function and doesn’t give the armor any special abilities. Once you’ve selected the general design, you can’t change it until you gain a new solarian level.

Your solar armor grants you a +1 enhancement bonus to both your Kinetic Armor Class and your Energy Armor Class. This bonus increases to +2 at 10th level. It is compatible with light armor, but it gives you no benefit if you’re wearing heavy armor.At 5th level, you also gain energy resistance 5 while your solararmor is active. You can choose either cold resistance or fireresistance when you activate the armor, and can switch energytypes as a move action. This energy resistance increases by 5 at10th level and every 5 levels thereafter.

Forming or dismissing solar armor is a move action.

Solar Weapon

You can seize your solar mote in one hand to form a melee weapon out of stellar energy. This weapon appears to be made out of glowing light or solid darkness, as determined by the appearance of your solar manifestation, but it can be whatever general shape you choose. Normal melee weapons like axes, swords, and spears are most common, but other shapes, such as a large rune of stellar energy, a mass of writhing energy tendrils, or an energized fist that fits over your own hand, are possible as well. Your solar weapon’s general design has no impact on its function, and doesn’t give the weapon any special abilities such as reach. Once you’ve selected the general design, you can’t change it until you gain a new solarian level.

Your solar weapon functions as a one-handed kinetic advanced melee weapon, and you’re automatically proficient with it. At 1st level, choose whether your solar weapon deals bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage. You can change the damage type each time you gain a new solarian level. Your solar weapon deals damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier. This damage increases by 1d6 at 6th level, 9th level, 12th level, and every level thereafter. Solarian weapon crystals (see page 170) can increase your solar weapon’s damage.

Forming or dismissing a solar weapon is a move action that takes the same amount of effort as drawing or sheathing a weapon (and can be combined with a move as a single move action or used with the Quick Draw feat). Your solar weapon is automatically dismissed if it ever leaves your hand.

The stellar forces you call on are attuned to either photons (representing the power of stars to emit heat, light, and plasma) or gravitons (representing the power of stars to attract and imprison objects through gravity). The ultimate expression of photon power is the supernova, when all of a star’s energy is exerted outward, while the ultimate expression of graviton power is the black hole, where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape it. The balance between these two opposing cosmic forces is the source of your power, and your stellar mode represents the strength of your connection with one or both of these forces—a relationship that shifts from one moment to the next as you use your stellar revelations.

When in battle, you enter a state of metaphysical alignment with cosmic forces. At the start of your first turn in combat, if you are conscious, you must choose one of three stellar modes: graviton, photon, or unattuned (see below).

At the start of each subsequent turn of combat, you must choose to either stay in your current stellar mode or to become unattuned. If you choose to stay in your mode, you gain another attunement point for that mode. As long as you have 1 or 2 attunement points in a mode, you are attuned to that mode. Once you reach 3 attunement points in a mode, you become fully attuned to that mode. Some of your stellar revelations are zenith revelations, which can be used only when you’re fully attuned to one mode or the other. When you are fully attuned, you cannot gain more points in your mode, but you stay fully attuned until combat ends, your stellar mode ends, or you become unattuned. If you choose to become unattuned, you lose all attunement points you’ve accrued so far. At the start of your next turn, you can enter a new stellar mode or stay unattuned.

At the end of combat, your stellar mode ends. If you fall unconscious during an encounter, you become unattuned. If you regain consciousness while still under threat, you can enter a stellar mode on your first turn after regaining consciousness, as if it were the first round of combat; if combat ends before you regain consciousness, your stellar mode ends. If you are not in a stellar mode, for any reason, you are considered unattuned for the purposes of your stellar revelations.

When you’re not in combat, you can’t enter a stellar mode. This ability manifests only in high-stakes situations, when your training takes over and connects your mind to the universe. There needs to be some risk to you for your stellar mode to activate, so you must be facing a significant enemy (see page 242). If there’s any doubt about whether you’re in combat or able to access your stellar mode, the GM decides. This also means that your stellar mode might end before what was previously a dangerous battle is over, once all that remains are dregs that don’t pose a real threat to you.

Photon Mode

When you enter photon mode, you gain 1 photon attunement point and become photon-attuned. Some of your stellar revelations are photon powers and get stronger if you’re photon-attuned. While photon-attuned, you gain a +1 insight bonus to damage rolls (including damage rolls for your stellar powers). This bonus increases by 1 for every 6 solarian levels you have.

Graviton Mode

When you enter graviton mode, you gain 1 graviton attunement point and become graviton-attuned. Some of your stellar revelations are graviton powers and get stronger if you’re graviton-attuned. While graviton-attuned, you gain a +1 insight bonus to Reflex saves. This bonus increases by 1 for every 9 solarian levels you have.

Unattuned

While unattuned, you gain no attunement points and you are neither photon-attuned nor graviton-attuned. You gain no benefits while unattuned.

As you gain experience, you uncover new secrets about the powers of energy, gravity, stars, and other fundamental sources of cosmic power that grant you the ability to channel these forces and manifest potent preternatural powers. At 1st level, you automatically learn the black hole and supernova stellar revelations. At 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter, you learn an additional stellar revelation. You cannot select the same stellar revelation more than once unless it says otherwise. You can choose any stellar revelations you wish, but if you have more photon revelations than graviton revelations, or vice versa, it is more difficult to become fully attuned in either mode (see Disproportionate Revelations). The list of stellar revelations begins on Stellar Revelations.

Stellar revelations normally note what kind of action they require. If a stellar revelation does not note the kind of action it takes and it modifies some other action (such as an attack or skill check), it can be used as part of that action. If a stellar revelation allows a saving throw to resist its effects, the DC is equal to 10 + half your solarian level + your Charisma modifier. A revelation that says it lasts for 1 round or until you leave the associated mode lasts for whichever of these durations is longer. You can use stellar revelations both in and out of combat, but since you can’t enter a stellar mode outside of battle, any revelation that lasts for 1 round or as long as you’re in a stellar mode lasts only 1 round if you’re not in combat.

When you’re fully graviton-attuned, as a standard action, you can pull any number of creatures within 20 feet of you closer. You choose which creatures are affected and which ones aren’t. Each target must succeed at a Fortitude save or be pulled 10 feet toward you. The range of this revelation and the distance pulled increase by 5 feet at 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter. Solid objects do not block this ability, but any creature that runs into a solid object ceases moving closer to you. Creatures moved by this ability do not provoke attacks of opportunity from this movement. After you use this revelation, you immediately become unattuned. Black hole functions as a zenith revelation for the purposes of abilities that reference them.

When you’re fully photon-attuned, as a standard action, you can deal 1d6 fire damage plus 1d6 additional fire damage per solarian level to all creatures within 10 feet of you. A creature that succeeds at a Reflex save takes half damage. At 9th level, you can increase the radius to 15 feet, and at 17th level, you can increase the radius to 20 feet. After you use this revelation, you immediately become unattuned. Supernova functions as a zenith revelation for the purposes of abilities that reference them.

You have a preferred fighting style that represents the type of soldier you are. Each fighting style is composed of various style techniques that you learn as you gain experience. You must pick one fighting style upon taking your first soldier level, and once made, this choice cannot be changed. Descriptions of the fighting styles you can choose from appear on pages 112–115.

At 1st level and every 4 levels thereafter, you gain a style technique unique to your primary fighting style.