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Judging Eagle 03-13-07, 03:20 PM

Someone in this thread (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=803011) posted a build that could be detailed as such: Barbarian 5/Wizard 5/Rage Mage 1. I showed hims some options that either 1) had the same casting, but blew the initial build out of the water combat-wise or 2) were better casters and thus were able to be equal fighters to full bab classes; as well as having better HP, saves and heck, even more rages per day. In the end we agreed that Bar/Wiz/Rage Mage was not that effective, but he wanted to stick with it since it was 'easier'. Which got me thinking, "Gee, people sure don't want effective builds, but they sure don't mind playing single powerful classes. So what the hey, I'll do just that" and I wrote this up. Berzerker-Magus Wizards who do battle with blade and sheild are rare, those who do so while in the throes of a battle-rage are rarer still. However, among some barbarian tribes those who meld battle-lust with powerful magic are seen as champions among their people. Pre-requisites: Proficiencies: Must be proficient with a weapon that you own a masterwork or better version of. Must be proficient in armour and sheilds. Spells: Must be able to cast 3rd level spells Base Attack Bonus: +5 Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) 6 Ranks Special: Must have killed something without using your magic at all and only using your martial combat ability. Special: Must be able to Rage, Frenzy or any similar abilitiy and must have killed any enemy while raging, frenzied, etc.. Hit Dice: D10 BaB: (Good, as Fighter) Saves: Fort (Good), Reflex (Poor), Will (Good) Skill Points per level: 2 + Int Mod Skills: The Berzerker-Magus' class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (All taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Survival (Wis) and Swim (Str). 1 Reduce Spell Failure 10%, Blade of the Magus, +1 Arcane Spellcasting Caster Level 2 Berzerker, Bonus Feat 3 +1 Arcane Spellcasting Caster Level 4 Spell-Fueled Rage, +1 Arcane Spellcasting Caster Level 5 +1 Arcane Spellcasting Caster Level 6 Induce Rage, +1 Arcane Spellcasting Caster Level 7 +1 Arcane Spellcasting Caster Level 8 Clarity of the Berzerker, +1 Arcane Spellcasting Caster Level 9 +1 Arcane Spellcasting Caster Level 10 Mass Spell-Fueled Rage +1 Arcane Spellcasting Caster Level Armour and Weapon Proficencies: The Berzerker-Magus gains no additional armour or weapon profienciencies. Reduce Spell Failure(Ex): At 1st level, the Berzerker-Magus reduces their total Arcane Spell Failure by 10% while wearing armour and sheilds that they are proficient with and wielding any weapon that they do not suffer non-profiency penalties with. Blade of the Magus (ex): At 1st level, the Berzerker-Magus is able to can use hands with weapons in them to perform somatic components, so long as they are wielding any weapon that they do not suffer non-profiency penalties with. Spellcasting: At first level, and every other level other than 2nd level the Berzerker-Magus gains a new level of spellcasting as if they had gone up a level in a previously selected arcane spellcasting class. If the character has more than one spellcasting class, the character must select which arcane spellcasting class will benefit from these increases at first level and once made this selection cannot be changed. He however gains no other benefit that they would have normally gained, such as turning/rebuking undead, more or new invocations, bonus feats or imporvments to their familiar. Bonus Feat: At 2nd level the Berzerker-Magus gains a bonus feat. This may be any feat that a Wizard or Fighter gains as a bonus feat as well as any feat that has Rage as a pre-requisite. The Berzerker-Magus must have the pre-requisites to gain this feat however. Berzerker(Ex): At 2nd level, a Berzerker-Magus taps into the core of his fighting ability, his unsatiable battle-lust. The Berzerker-Magus progresses his Rage or Frenzy or other related ability as if they had taken an other level of their previous class that granted the ability. If the ability came from the creature's race (such as an [i]Awakened Wolverine or Badger who took Wizardly training and then took levels in this class), they instead progress as if their racial hit dice and their Berzerker-Magus level are added when determining the effects of their Rage off of the al Barbarian classes Rage progression. The Berzerker-Magus however gains no other benefits other than increased power in their Rage or Frenzy ability. They do not gain any extra level-scaling Damage Reduction, Fast Healing, New Transformation-forms or other class abilities that are not more powerful Rages or more Rages per day. Spell-Fueled Rage(Su): At 4th level, the Berzerker-Magus can use consume his own magic in order to imporve his fighting ability. As a free action that they can take only in their own round, a Berzerker-Magus may expend any arcane spell that they have prepared or any spontanteous arcane spell slot that they have in order to empower their battle fury. The Berzerker-Magus gains a bonus to attack and damage rolls equal to the level of the spell expended and only one spell may be expended per round as a free action, every additional spell that the character wishes to expend cost a move action. This bonus lasts as long as as the Berzerker-Magus is able to rage and the bonus cannot exceed the highest level spell that the Berzerker-Magus can cast. [Note: this keeps people from dumping useless 1st level spells to gain a bonus to hit and damage that's greater than their highest lvl spell, or dumping their highest level spell if they need to put something down fast] Induce Rage (Su): At 6th level a Berzerker-Magus is able to infect his allies with the destructive tendancies that teem in his mind. As a swift action, the Berzerker-Magus expends a prepared spell or an unused spontantoues arcane spell slot in order to grant a number of allies equal to the level of the spell expended the effects of Rage equivalent to one half of the bonuses that a Berzerker-Magus gains when raging themself (all bonus are rounded down to the nearest whole number). Clarity of the Berzerker(Ex): At 8th level the Berzerker-Magus has learned that even in the middle of their rage that they have a heightened sense of awareness that allows them to cast spells as if they were calm and relaxed. The Berzerker-Magus can cast one spell per point of their Spellcasting Stat Modifier while raging. During the casting of these spells, the Save DCs change to 10 + 1/2 Hit Dice + Constitutin Modifier. Lead the war party (Su): At 10th level the Berzerker-Magus is able to grant any allies affected by his Induce Rage ability the same bonus that he gains from his Spell-Fueled Rage. In addition, the berszerker Magus may choose to affect his allies with any spells that the Berzerker-Magus casts via his Clarity of the Berzerker ability, even if they cannot normally be targeted by those spells. Thanks to: Ecsef for helping me loosen the armour restrictions; restrict the Clarity of the Berzerker ability; but I ignored his advice to drop the hit dice to D8's. Carthaz Godfoot for helping me tighten up the wording of Blade of the Magus and Endovior for giving me some better wording. By the way, are there any other Rage Mage re-writes that other people have written? I sort of wrote this on the fly and based it around the spellsword, rage mage and eldrtich knight.