Post/Author/DateTime	Post
BrianD 01-23-05, 03:22 AM	This is the primary spellcaster for a low-magic campaign I'm planning out. It is like the bard in most regards, except as follows. Note: I use spell points, so if you don't, treat any reference to spell points as though it said spells per day. ---------------------- Saves: As wizard (poor Fort, poor Ref, good Will). Alignment: Any. Class Skills: The mage’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Speak Language (n/a), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha). Skill Points Per Level: 4 + Int modifier (x4 at 1st level). Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The mage is proficient with all simple weapons, plus the longsword, shortsword, and shortbow. Spells: To learn or cast a spell, a mage must have a Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a mage’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the mage’s Intelligence modifier. He receives bonus spell points per day if he has a high Intelligence score. Unlike spell points per day, the number of spells a mage knows is not affected by his Intelligence score. Arcane Influence: As bardic music, except it relies on the Spellcraft skill instead of Perform. Ignore all references to singing. Also ignore reliance on ability to hear and see the mage, except in the case of fascinate, suggestion, and mass suggestion. Rename countersong to interference, and song of freedom to break enchantment. Bonus Feats: As wizard. Lore: As bardic knowledge. ---------------------- The mage's spell list reflects the understated, subtle nature of magic. 0-LEVEL MAGE SPELLS (CANTRIPS) Arcane Mark: Inscribes a personal rune (visible or invisible). Dancing Lights: Creates torches or other lights. Daze: Humanoid creature of 4 HD or less loses next action. Detect Magic: Detects spells and magic items within 60 ft. Flare: Dazzles one creature (–1 on attack rolls). Ghost Sound: Figment sounds. Guidance: +1 on one attack roll, saving throw, or skill check. Know Direction: You discern north. Light: Object shines like a torch. Lullaby: Makes subject drowsy; –5 on Spot and Listen checks, –2 on Will saves against sleep. Mage Hand: 5-pound telekinesis. Mending: Makes minor repairs on an object. Message: Whispered conversation at distance. Open/Close: Opens or closes small or light things. Prestidigitation: Performs minor tricks. Purify Food and Drink: Purifies 1 cu. ft./level of food or water. Read Magic: Read scrolls and spellbooks. Resistance: Subject gains +1 on saving throws. Virtue: Subject gains 1 temporary hp. 1ST-LEVEL MAGE SPELLS Alarm: Wards an area for 2 hours/level. Animate Rope: Makes a rope move at your command. Cause Fear: One creature of 5 HD or less flees for 1d4 rounds. Charm Person: Makes one person your friend. Comprehend Languages: You understand all spoken and written languages. Cure Light Wounds: Cures 1d8 damage +1/level (max +5). Detect Secret Doors: Reveals hidden doors within 60 ft. Disguise Self: Changes your appearance. Endure Elements: Exist comfortably in hot or cold environments. Erase: Mundane or magical writing vanishes. Expeditious Retreat: Your speed increases by 30 ft. Feather Fall: Objects or creatures fall slowly. Hypnotism: Fascinates 2d4 HD of creatures. Identify M: Determines properties of magic item. Lesser Confusion: One creature is confused for 1 round. Magic Aura: Alters object’s magic aura. Magic Weapon: Weapon gains +1 bonus. Obscure Object: Masks object against scrying. Obscuring Mist: Fog surrounds you. Produce Flame: 1d6 damage +1/level, touch or thrown. Remove Fear: Suppresses fear or gives +4 on saves against fear for one subject + one per four levels. Silent Image: Creates minor illusion of your design. Sleep: Puts 4 HD of creatures into magical slumber. Ventriloquism: Throws voice for 1 min./level. 2ND-LEVEL MAGE SPELLS Animal Messenger: Sends a Tiny animal to a specific place. Animal Trance: Fascinates 2d6 HD of animals. Arcane Lock M: Magically locks a portal or chest. Blindness/Deafness: Makes subject blind or deaf. Blur: Attacks miss subject 20% of the time. Bull’s Strength: Subject gains +4 to Str for 1 min./level. Calm Emotions: Calms creatures, negating emotion effects. Cat’s Grace: Subject gains +4 to Dex for 1 min./level. Continual Flame M: Makes a permanent, heatless torch. Daze Monster: Living creature of 6 HD or less loses next action. Detect Thoughts: Allows “listening” to surface thoughts. Eagle’s Splendor: Subject gains +4 to Cha for 1 min./level. Endurance: Subject gains +4 to Con for 1 min./level. Enthrall: Captivates all within 100 ft. + 10 ft./level. Fox’s Cunning: Subject gains +4 to Int for 1 min./level. Glitterdust: Blinds creatures, outlines invisible creatures. Gust of Wind: Blows away or knocks down smaller creatures. Hold Person: Paralyzes one humanoid for 1 round/level. Hypnotic Pattern: Fascinates (2d4 + level) HD of creatures. Invisibility: Subject is invisible for 1 min./level or until it attacks. Locate Object: Senses direction toward object (specific or type). Minor Image: As silent image, plus some sound. Misdirection: Misleads divinations for one creature or object. Owl’s Wisdom: Subject gains +4 to Wis for 1 min./level. Pyrotechnics: Turns fire into blinding light or choking smoke. Rage: Gives +2 to Str and Con, +1 on Will saves, –2 to AC. Remove Paralysis: Frees one or more creatures from paralysis or slow effect. Resist Energy: Ignores first 10 (or more) points of damage/attack from specified energy type. See Invisibility: Reveals invisible creatures or objects. Scare: Panics creatures of less than 6 HD. Suggestion: Compels subject to follow stated course of action. Tongues: Speak any language. Whispering Wind: Sends a short message 1 mile/level. 3RD-LEVEL MAGE SPELLS Arcane Sight: Magical auras become visible to you. Call Lightning: Calls down lightning bolts (3d6 per bolt) from sky. Charm Monster: Makes monster believe it is your ally. Clairaudience/Clairvoyance: Hear or see at a distance for 1 min./level. Confusion: Subjects behave oddly for 1 round/level. Crushing Despair: Subjects take –2 on attack rolls, damage rolls, saves, and checks. Deep Slumber: Puts 10 HD of creatures to sleep. Dispel Magic: Cancels magical spells and effects. Displacement: Attacks miss subject 50%. Fear: Subjects within cone flee for 1 round/level. Geas, Lesser: Commands subject of 7 HD or less. Haste: One creature/level moves faster, +1 on attack rolls, AC, and Reflex saves. Illusory Script M: Only intended reader can decipher. Invisibility Sphere: Makes everyone within 10 ft. invisible. Magic Weapon, Greater: +1/four levels (max +5). Major Image: As silent image, plus sound, smell and thermal effects. Nondetection M: Hides subject from divination, scrying. Protection from Energy: Absorb 12 points/level of damage from one kind of energy. Quench: Extinguishes nonmagical fires or one magic item. Remove Curse: Frees object or person from curse. Scrying F: Spies on subject from a distance. Secret Page: Changes one page to hide its real content. See Invisibility: Reveals invisible creatures or objects. Slow: One subject/level takes only one action/round, –1 to AC, reflex saves, and attack rolls. Speak with Animals: You can communicate with animals. 4TH-LEVEL MAGE SPELLS Break Enchantment: Frees subjects from enchantments, alterations, curses, and petrification. Detect Scrying: Alerts you of magical eavesdropping. Dominate Person: Controls humanoid telepathically. Freedom of Movement: Subject moves normally despite impediments. Hallucinatory Terrain: Makes one type of terrain appear like another (field into forest, or the like). Hold Monster: As hold person, but any creature. Invisibility, Greater: As invisibility, but subject can attack and stay invisible. Legend Lore M F: Lets you learn tales about a person, place, or thing. Locate Creature: Indicates direction to familiar creature. Modify Memory: Changes 5 minutes of subject’s memories. Repel Vermin: Insects, spiders, and other vermin stay 10 ft. away. Shout: Deafens all within cone and deals 5d6 sonic damage. Speak with Plants: You can talk to normal plants and plant creatures. 5TH-LEVEL MAGE SPELLS Call Lightning Storm: As call lightning, but 5d6 damage per bolt. Control Winds: Change wind direction and speed. Cure Light Wounds, Mass: Cures 1d8 damage +1/level for many creatures. Discord: Forces targets to attack each other. Dispel Magic, Greater: As dispel magic, but +20 on check. Dream: Sends message to anyone sleeping. False Vision M: Fools scrying with an illusion. Mind Fog: Subjects in fog get –10 to Wis and Will checks. Mirage Arcana: As hallucinatory terrain, plus structures. Mislead: Turns you invisible and creates illusory double. Nightmare: Sends vision dealing 1d10 damage, fatigue. Persistent Image: As major image, but no concentration required. Seeming: Changes appearance of one person per two levels. Suggestion, Mass: As suggestion, plus one subject/level. Telekinesis: Moves object, attacks creature, or hurls object or creature. True Seeing M: Lets you see all things as they really are. 6TH-LEVEL MAGE SPELLS Analyze Dweomer F: Reveals magical aspects of subject. Arcane Sight, Greater: As arcane sight, but also reveals magic effects on creatures and objects. Bear’s Endurance, Mass: As bear’s endurance, affects one subject/level. Bull’s Strength, Mass: As bull’s strength, affects one subject/level. Cat’s Grace, Mass: As cat’s grace, affects one subject/level. Charm Monster, Mass: As charm monster, but all within 30 ft. Control Weather: Changes weather in local area. Eagle’s Splendor, Mass: As eagle’s splendor, affects one subject/level. Find the Path: Shows most direct way to a location. Fox’s Cunning, Mass: As fox’s cunning, affects one subject/level. Geas/Quest: As lesser geas, plus it affects any creature. Owl’s Wisdom, Mass: As owl’s wisdom, affects one subject/level. Permanent Image: Includes sight, sound, and smell. Programmed Image M: As major image, plus triggered by event. Scrying, Greater: As scrying, but faster and longer. Stone Tell: Talk to natural or worked stone. Veil: Changes appearance of group of creatures. Vision M X: As legend lore, but quicker and strenuous. ---------------------- What do you think?
Braids 01-23-05, 04:46 AM	If you are using the Bard's saves/bab/HD, then the Bonus Feats are too much...but if you are using the Wizard's Saves/bab/HD, then I think I can see this as being an ok class. Is there a divine caster in your campaign? If so I might remove the Cure Spells. BTW, I like your idea of a "Bardic Music" styled Caster with limited spells very much and may try something like it in the future.
Grigori 01-23-05, 11:55 AM	Looks interesting, the bonus feats are excessive. And just the way it works I'd call it a mesmer or an enchanter. This thing would be a great feeder for the Mindbender PrC if it only had bluff, Diplomacy and sense motive. Key question: Since intelligence is the prime requisite anyway, why boost the skill points with such a small skill list? I'd leave it at 2/lvl. Half the reason the bard has a higher number of skill points is the larger skill list and the charisma prime requisite so he doesn't suffer from M.A.D.
BrianD 01-25-05, 06:14 PM	Thanks for the feedback! Sorry to not address the BAB, saves, and HD before. The mage uses the wizard's poor Fort/Ref and good Will saves, while keeping the bard's attack bonus and hit die. I added the bonus feats to offset the reduced Reflex save, while the reduced number of skill points and class skills is countered by the slightly more powerful spell list. Also, does anyone know of some good bard prestige classes for conversion to fit the mage? Right now I'm working with the Seeker of the Song and the Sublime Chord from Complete Arcane (the latter of which requires a "low-magic" spell list that goes up to 9th level) and the Dirgesinger from Libris Mortis (which would function nicely as a necromancer-type). The Mindbender looks like a good one, too -- I think if I were to lessen the Bluff, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive skill requirements by 1 or 2 each it's be doable for the mage to get in with those as cross-class skills. As far as divine casters go, I'm still kind of kicking some ideas around. The divine bard in Unearthed Arcana would seem like a good place to start, I suppose. Perhaps the ability to turn undead in place of some bard abilities? Any suggestions? If I do end up making one, then yeah, eliminating the cure spells would be a good idea, and also some cleric spells like bane and bless that I gave the mage. Oh, also, scratch the sap and the whip from the weapons that the mage can choose to be proficient with, those just don't fit, the way I see it.
BrianD 01-28-05, 09:15 PM	I think I'm going to expand the bonus feat list a bit. In addition to metamagic and item creation feats, I'll include other magely feats, which as a house-rule I've allowed to be taken as wizard bonus feats before. Also, Scribe Scroll is no longer assigned automatically at 1st-level, though it certainly is still an option. Anyway, here's what I've got to add. From the Player's Handbook:Combat Casting, Eschew Materials, Greater Spell Focus, Greater Spell Penetration, Improved Counterspell, Spell Focus, Spell Penetration. From Complete Adventurer: Chant of Fortitude, Disguise Spell, Extra Music, Extraordinary Concentration, Green Ear, Ironskin Chant, Lingering Song, Lyric Spell, Mobile Spellcasting, Obscure Lore. From Complete Arcane: Arcane Mastery, Battle Caster, Extra Spell, Innate Spell, Obtain Familiar, Practiced Spellcaster. From Complete Adventurer: Arcane Strike, Improved Familiar. From the Eberron Campaign Setting: Haunting Melody, Music of Growth, Music of Making, Song of the Heart, Soothe the Beast. Of course all the references to music should be altered to fit with the Arcane Influence ability -- the mage doesn't make stuff happen by singing, he creates these effects through his understanding of the subtle magical energies that suffuse the world. So the names change, the functional skill (and required skill in all applicable cases) is switched from Perform to Spellcraft, and any reliance on one's ability to see or hear the mage for the power to affect them is negated. Here's a sample mage NPC.Gendrick: Male human mage 3; CR 3; Medium humanoid; HD 3d6; hp 10; Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; AC 10, touch 10, flat-footed 10; Base Atk +2; Grp +2, Atk +3 melee (1d8, masterwork longsword); SA spells; SQ arcane influence 3/day (fascinate, inspire competence, inspire courage +1, interference), lore +8; AL NG; SV Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +4; Str 10, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 17, Wis 14, Cha 8. Skills and Feats: Concentration +6, Decipher Script +8, Knowledge (arcana) +8, Search +8, Spellcraft +11, Use Magic Device +3; Obscure Lore, Scribe Scroll, Skill Focus (Spellcraft). Languages: Common, Dwarven, Old Common. Arcane Influence: Use arcane influence three times per day. See the mage class feature. Fascinate (Sp): Use magic to counter magical effects. Inspire Confidence (Su): Use magic to help an ally succeed at a task. Inspire Courage (Su): Use magic to bolster his allies against fear and improve their combat abilities. Interference (Su): Use magic to counter magical effects. Mage Spells Known (2 spell points per day; caster level 3rd): 0-detect magic, flare, light, guidance, mage hand, message; 1-identify, magic weapon, produce flame. Possessions: Masterwork longsword, masterwork mithral chain shirt, headband of intellect +2, scroll of detect secret doors, potion of cure light wounds. I'm working on initiate-style feats to provide more specialized spells, and I'm still trying my hand on the divine version of the class.
BrianD 01-30-05, 12:50 AM	Alright, here's the divine equivalent, called the Priest. As before, it advances as the bard except as noted. ---------------------- Saves: As cleric (good Fort, poor Ref, good Will). Alignment: Any. Class Skills: As cleric. Skill Points Per Level: 4 + Int modifier (x4 at 1st level). Weapon and Armor Proficiency: As cleric. Aura (Ex): As cleric. Spells: A priest casts divine spells, which are drawn from the priest spell list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, a priest must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a priest’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the priest’s Wisdom modifier. Like other spellcasters, a priest can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell point allotment is given on Table: The Priest. In addition, he receives bonus spell points per day if he has a high Wisdom score. The priest’s selection of spells is extremely limited. A priest begins play knowing four 0-level spells of your choice. At most new priest levels, he gains one or more new spells, at the rate indicated on Table: The Bard. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a priest knows is not affected by his Wisdom score; the numbers on Table: The Bard are fixed.) A priest also knows one domain spell of each spell level he can cast, starting at 2nd level (see Deities, Domains, and Domain Spells, below). Upon reaching 5th level, and at every third priest level after that (8th, 11th, and so on), a priest can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, the priest "loses" the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level priest spell the priest can cast. A priest may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for the level. As noted above, a priest need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his allotment of spell points per day. Deity, Domains, and Domain Spells: As cleric, except each domain lets the cleric learn an extra domain spell at each spell level he can cast, from 1st on up, as well as a granted power. The cleric gets the granted powers of both the domains selected. With access to two domain spells at a given spell level, a cleric learns one or the other. Lay On Hands (Su): As paladin. Turn or Rebuke Undead (Su): As cleric. ---------------------- Spell list coming soon. Compared to the cleric, this is pretty underpowered, I threw in Lay on Hands to further enhance it's healing abilities, but I don't know. Then again, word on the street is that the cleric's a bit overpowered, but even so, this might not be up to muster. What do you think?
BrianD 04-04-05, 02:16 PM	El bumpo.
Jodjod 04-15-05, 03:02 AM	Looks awesome, mind if I use sometime?