Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ranger of the north 04-18-07, 05:24 PM	Search has given me no results. Looking to see if anyone on these boards has remade the class, for my wizzy is a campaign. Thanks in advance! :D
Karsus the Mad 04-18-07, 05:29 PM	Search has given me no results. Looking to see if anyone on these boards has remade the class, for my wizzy is a campaign. Thanks in advance! :D The Netherese arcanist prestige class can be found in the Player's Guide to Faerun. However, it doesn't accurately depict the arcanists of Netheril. For one, it's a prc based soley on Epic Spellcasting, which the Netherese did not employ to any large degree and preferred true 10th+ magic (which is impossible now). I have a 10 level Epic PrC of the arcanist that I made, but it too I fear isn't 100% accurate in depiction (it too is largely based on Epic Spellcasting if you don't allow higher than 9th level spells) unless you allow true 10th+ magic to be used. Will see if I can find it on my other system.... Also, Jaerom Darkwind made a base class of the arcanist.
Karsus the Mad 04-18-07, 06:04 PM	Found my old writeup of it, but not the newer one, which give Improved Spell Capacity (10th) at first level, and require Epic Spellcasting as a prereq (since both true 10+ spells are also described as a type epic magic in LEoF, I made Epic Spellcasting the requirement for *any* type of spell that goes beyond 9th. Also, skill rank requirement should be 24, to allow one to immediately go into this PrC at 21st level:( Oh well. Also some feats I made for flavor. Netherese arcanist The archwizards of ancient Netheril were arguably the greatest human spellcasters in all of Faerun's history, though the elves often point out that the Netherese learned all they knew from elf wizards. But even so, the spellcasters of Netheril were renowned for the mighty magic under their control-spells that could shear the tops from mountains and levitate them in the air to serve as floating enclaves. Some say that these archwizards even had access to a spell that could make a man into a god. The Netherese arcanist is a pioneer of epic spellcasting who focuses his efforts on mastering the secrets of spells that go beyond ordinary limits. Most members of this prestige class died when their floating enclaves plummeted from the sky and their mighty empire crumbled into the desert of Anauroch, though at least one still survives as a lich. But two means remain by which modern-day wizards and sorcerers can approach the techniques of ancient Netheril. They can explore lost Netherese ruins and find records of the arcanists' forggoten secrets, or they can visit the living heirs of those powerful spellcasters-the shades. Among the shades, Netherese arcanists are once again rising to a level of prominence in society, to the great concern of their neighbors. The Netherese arcanist prestige class below is what the prestige class was before the Fall, and the prestige class presented in the Players Guide to Faerun is what present day spellcasters are capable of reaching. REQUIREMENTS To qualify to become a Netherese arcanist, a character must fulfill all the following criteria. Race: Human (including human undead) or shade. Skills: Knowledge (arcana) 25 ranks, Spellcraft 25 ranks. Feats: Arcane Manipulation, Improved Spell Capacity (10th) Spells: Able to cast 10th level spells Special: Traditions of Netheril: The candidate must have access to the ancient magical traditions of Netheril. A lich or a shade character from the Empire of Shade meets this criteria, or (at the DM's discretion) another character who has unearthed ancient Netherese lore might also qualify. Table 5-11: The Netherese Arcanist Class Level Special 1st Epic Spellcasting, field specialization +1 caster level 2nd Spell Focus (epic) +1 caster level 3rd Backlash resistance I +1 caster level 4th Epic spell artisan I +1 caster level 5th Greater Spell Focus (epic) +1 caster level 6th Improved Spell Capacity (11th) +1 caster level 7th Backlash resistance II +1 caster level 8th Epic spell artisan II +1 caster level 9th Epic Spell Focus (epic) +1 caster level 10th Improved Spell Capacity (12th) +1 caster level CLASS SKILLS The Netherese arcanist's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Speak Language (None), and Spellcraft (Int). See Chapter 4 of the Player's Handbook for skill descriptions. Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier. CLASS FEATURES All of the following are class features of the Netherese arcanist. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Netherese arcanists gain no proficiency with any weapon, armor, or shield. Armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand, and Tumble, and double the normal armor check penalty applies to Swim checks. Epic Spellcasting: At 1st level, the Netherese arcanist gains Epic Spellcasting as a bonus feat if he does not already have it. If he already has it, he instead gains an aditional 10th level spell slot. Also, during pre-fall Netheril, this feat allowed Netherese arcanists to develope and cast true 10th level spells. Field Specialization: Every Netherese arcanist chooses one of three "fields" of magic-invention, mentalism, or variation-for his major field of specialization. He also chooses one of the remaining two fields as his minor field. He can nolonger learn new spells in the third field (though he can still cast the spells he knew before taking levels in the Netherese arcanist prestige class) nor can he develope or cast epic spells based on seeds from the third field. The schools of magic and the epic spell seeds covered by each field are given in the table below. Field Schools Seeds invention abjuration, conjuration, evocation animate*, animate dead, armor, conjure, dispel, energy, heal*, life*, mythal, shadow, slay, summon mentalism divination, enchantment, illusion afflict*, banish, compel, conceal, conjure, contact, delude, dispel, foresee*, mythal, reflect, reveal, shadow, ward variation abjuration, necromancy, transmutation afflict*, animate*, banish, delude, destroy, dispel, fortify, heal*, life*, reflect, transform, transport Spell Focus (Epic): At 2nd level, the saving throw DC for each of a Netherese arcanist's epic spells increase by 1, but the Spellcraft DC does not increase. Backlash Resistance I (Su): At 3rd level, a Netherese arcanist gains resistance 5 + Int modifier to backlash damage from casting epic spells. Each time he casts an epic spell with a backlash, that damage is reduced by a number of points equal to 5 + his Int modifier. If the backlash damage continues for more than 1 round, the reduction is a number of points each round equal to 5 + Int modifier. Epic Spell Artisan I: At 4th level, a Netherese arcanist gains the ability to develop epic spells with less expense in time and resources. When determining the cost of raw materials for researching an epic spell, he multiplies the Spellcraft DC by 7,000 gp instead of 9,000 gp and reduces the development time and XP cost accordingly. Greater Spell Focus (Epic): At 5th level, the saving throw DC for each of a Netherese arcanist's epic spells increases by 1, but the Spellcraft DC does not increase. This increase stacks with that provided by his Spell Focus (epic) ability, for a net increase of +2. Improved Spell Capacity (11th): At 6th level, a Netherese arcanist gains Improved Spell Capacity (11th) as a bonus feat if he does not already have it and gains the ability to develope true 11th level spells. If he already has it, he only gains an additional 11th level spell slot, he does not gain a 12th level spell slot. Backlash Resistance II (Su): At 7th level the Netherese arcanist's backlash resistance is raised to 10 + his Int modifier. Epic Spell Artisan II: At 8th level, the Netherese arcanist multiplies the Spellcraft DC by 5,000 gp to determine the cost of raw materials and XP for researching an epic spell. Epic Spell Focus (Epic): At 9th level, the saving throw DC for each of a Netherese arcanist's epic spells increases by 1, but the Spellcraft DC does not increase. This increase stacks with that provided by his Spell Focus (epic) and Greater Spell Focus (epic) abilities, for a net increase of +3. Improved Spell Capacity (12th): At 10th level, a Netherese arcanist gains Improved Spell Capacity (12th) as a bonus feat if he does not already have it and gains the ability to develope true 12th level spells. If he already has it, he only gains an additional 12th level spell slot, he does not gain a 13th level spell slot. Improved Arcane Manipulation [Epic] Your advanced knowledge in the arcane traditions of Netheril allow you to mold and shape magic more to your own will. Prerequisite: Arcane Manipulation, at least 1st level in the Netherese arcanist prestige class. Benefit: When you prepare spells, there is no limit to the number of spell slots you can break down into lower level spell slots. The sum of the levels of all the new spell slots must equal the level of the original. Spell slots that you break down into multiple lower-level slots remain that way until the next time you prepare spells, at which time you can choose to restore your spell slots to normal or break them up again. Normal: A character with Arcane Manipulation can break down up to three spell slots. A character can always use a higher level spell slot for lower level spells, but any remaining spell levels are lost. Netherese Spellcasting You understand the secrets of the Netherese arcanists, empowering you to cast your spells without any preparation. Prerequisite: Spell Mastery, wizard 10th level, Traditions of Netheril* Benefit: You can spontaneously cast spells you have mastered (via Spell Mastery) without the need to prepare them ahead of time, just as a sorcerer spontaneously casts spells. You must have an available empty spell slot (one that has not been used to prepare a spell) of the appropriate level. Normal: The Spell Mastery feat only allows a character to prepare mastered spells without needing a spell book. Traditions of Netheril: The candidate must have access to the magical traditions of Netheril. A lich or a shade character from the Empire of Shade meets this criteria for post Fall times, or (at the DM's discretion) another character who has unearthed ancient Netherese lore might also qualify. During the Age of Netheril, Traditions of Netheril is waived for spellcasters as a requirement. Spell Power Manipulation Your extreme force of will allows you to push your spells past most defenses. Prerequisite: Spellcaster 5th level. Benefit: When you cast a spell, you can increase the DC of the spell by sacrificing Caster Levels. For every +1 DC you wish to increase the spell by, its effective Caster Level is decreased by 2 (to the minimum caster level required to cast the spell). You can also choose to increase the effective Caster Level of a spell in order to increase your chances of overcoming spell resistance and for determining level based variables. However, the DC of the spell is decreased by 2 for every +1 Caster Level (minimum of 10+spell level). I also have some artwork of the writeup, but I need to update it. Edit: Should also include Automatic Still Spell (All) to represent the Netherese ability to cast spells without somatic components....
ranger of the north 04-18-07, 06:55 PM	Hmm, that looks pretty nice. Especially because it frees up my feat slots to take other things, like Auto Quicken, and Multispell. :)
ranger of the north 04-19-07, 02:09 PM	After thinking about this for a bit, the only complaint I could register cruchwise is that getting a 12th level spell slot doesn't feel like much of a capstone to me. Fluffwise, the original version feels more powerful to me, but that's mainly becuase I need to be at least 26th level to get into the class. Don't know how I'd go about fixing either of those things though. :confused:
Karsus the Mad 04-19-07, 03:36 PM	After thinking about this for a bit, the only complaint I could register cruchwise is that getting a 12th level spell slot doesn't feel like much of a capstone to me. Fluffwise, the original version feels more powerful to me, but that's mainly becuase I need to be at least 26th level to get into the class. Don't know how I'd go about fixing either of those things though. :confused: The 12th level capstone is more symbolic fluff than anything. The PGtF version appears to be powerful because of the high requirements, but when you break it down into it's benefits, it's not worth taking. Requiring 5 epic feats in return for losing 1/3 of the Epic seeds you can choose from isn't much of a benefit;) Also the Spell Focus (epic) isn't much of a benefit really since it only increases the DC of your epic spells by +1 each...which is meaningless with Epic Spellcasting since you can simply raise the DC at a whim. The only decent benefit is the Epic Spell Artisan feature, but one has to ask if it's worth taking 4 levels of what is otherwise wasted space.
MarkusTay63 04-19-07, 06:06 PM	I also have some artwork of the writeup, but I need to update it. Edit: Should also include Automatic Still Spell (All) to represent the Netherese ability to cast spells without somatic components....Was that because of their training (the nether scrolls) or a function of the Mythallar? It would be more interesting as a byproduct of the Mythallars, showing one way in which they helped with spell casting. Or maybe give Still Spell as a feat, and have eschew materials as a bonus from the Mythallar; that might work even better. :D
Karsus the Mad 04-19-07, 06:55 PM	Was that because of their training (the nether scrolls) or a function of the Mythallar? It would be more interesting as a byproduct of the Mythallars, showing one way in which they helped with spell casting. Or maybe give Still Spell as a feat, and have eschew materials as a bonus from the Mythallar; that might work even better. :D It was simply the method of spell design and casting technique. They prolly either discovered the technique, or developed it from the knowledge they gleamed from the Nether Scrolls. There's two minor mentions of it in NEoM and the adventure How the Mighty are Fallen, and is easily overlooked. From NEoM The elves didn’t hate the Netherese, yet they didn’t have a great appreciation for them either. They saw these humans as careless and wanton in their magic use. The fact that the Netherese didn’t take the precautions to shape and control their spellcasting (use somatic components) proved to the elves their lackadaisical nature. From the adventure Polaris'’s Exhibit: This special section in the center of the Polaris Vault displays the magical items created by Lady Polaris herself (though small in number), and all new exhibit pieces procured by the vault librarians. One interesting thing about this particular exhibit is that there are a number of books that detail the exact way to create spells in classic Netherese style—spells that contain no somatic components (Note: these five book are what the Cormanthyr elves desire to fulfill their quest.)