The Arcane Caster
Introduction:
The development and use of the arcane casting class has been a matter of derision among players of this, our most beloved of games. Most of this conflict derives from which class is best or worst and whether or not they are viable to use as player-characters. I hope that, when reading this, everyone understands that the classes in the book are created to be characters in a party of adventurers first and foremost, and their roles as NPCs may be slightly different from their roles as PCs. I will be spending most of the time here describing the roles Wizards and Sorcerers as NPCs in your D&D campaign.
This article was originally intended to be shorter. I did not want to go into a long-winded tirade which nobody would read, but I have been heartened by recent comments by others on these boards, so I am presenting it mostly unedited.
Note: as in the other articles, I use the masculine and feminine interchangeably throughout this article. This is done for political correctness and because the English language falls short of a proper form for second person personal.
Cliché:
There is a pit of despair that any and, for the most part every DM has fallen into and that is the cliché of the power-hungry wizard villain who, for some reason, comes to power and is eventually done in by his own arrogance. It stands to reason how such a self-destructive individual ever came to power in the first place. One could explain their rise to power has escalated their feeling of self-worth and corrupted their minds. This is a fair explanation, but it becomes predictable after a time. This also deadens your player's nerves. They become unprepared for surprises and they expect every villain, or BBEG (Big Bad Evil Guy) to be a bumbling loser.
If you do decide to run this kind of villain, you should use it on a new group to cut their teeth on or to lull your players into a false sense of security. Otherwise, I would let this scenario fall by the wayside. It is a poor and lazy setup which does not reflect the Wizard's high intelligence score. Arrogance trumps brains only so much.
Overcoming Stereotypes
Wizards are still people. This is a very important thing to remember. Barring a few exceptions, an arcane caster still needs to eat, sleep, use the toilet, and entertain herself. Wizards are just as likely as Fighters to enjoy wine, women, and song. In our own world, gamers and computer programmers still enjoy the company of a lady and a stiff drink now and again. Wizards should follow that structure. Every individual NPC is an individual. This can be a difficult prospect for a DM who has a dozen rank-and-file casters to look after and it's by no means necessary to go into a great deal of detail with each one. Your main antagonist, however, should be unique.
A three-dimensional plot involving an arcane caster might involve a Court Sorcerer who falls in love with the queen, or vice-versa. A Wizard may be clawing for power in order to gain approval from long-dead but never forgotten parents. Another caster might be a young and foolish kid who's gotten himself tied up with an organization who promised to show him and teach him things he could not find anywhere else. Then again, there's something to be said for a cunning, megalomaniacal fiend who will stop at nothing to gather as much social and cosmic power as he can get her grubby hands on. The latter personality is liable to be greedy and unscrupulous, but not stupid. She will cover all of her bases before making any move and she will be very careful to pay attention to details and expect an equal level of detail in reports brought to her.
There are many scenarios you could develop for a good arcane caster psyche. One method to use is to think of a real, living person who has caused you strife, but whom you cannot seem to outwit. Project that personality onto your NPC; when your players eventually bring the fiend down, you won't feel quite so bad.
Initiate Arcanist Personalities:
Rank-and-file Wizards are smart, young people who have been pressed into the service of another person for various reasons. They could have plans of their own to take over from their masters or to simply get by day to day. This will depend largely on your campaign world and where they live in that world. Sorcerers tend more to be strong personalities who have set out on their own to find adventure, employment, or a mixture of the two.
The Advantagist: This character is more likely to be a Wizard, and is probably the most common of the stereotypes. They are intelligent and are able to react to change quickly. They formulate intricate plans to crawl their way to the top of an organization. As a combatant, especially in a dungeon, make sure you come up with a battle plan for any group that has an Advantagist in it. There could be an improvised trap or two as well as hidden characters. If the NPCs have heard the PCs before they enter the area, allow for a minute or two come up with a modification of the plan. It's okay to keep your players waiting for a minute. Just tell them you're "taking some notes". The Advantagist will know a lot of languages, so make sure some form of sign language is one of them so that she can teach her allies.
The Persistent: Both Wizards and Sorcerers make good Persistants. Sorcerers have a large number of spell slots and, not only that, but they do not have to formulate any kind of scenario in the form of spell preparation. The Persistent will have long-lasting defensive spells and high-damage offensive spells. If your Persistent is a Wizard and of the appropriate level, make sure they can use Quicken Spell. In this way, they will become a shadow, a mere afterthought to the poor, unsuspecting PCs. It is very important that this character have the ability to make himself scarce. The highest-level invisibility or phasing spell is of utmost importance. The Persistent can harass the PCs over and over again throughout the day until he tires or they finally get the drop on him. If he is running low on spells, he will save his last invisibility, alert another group of NPCs, and then the lot of them should seek out and make a run at the PCs. If your group comes out badly, the Persistent will attempt to escape again. If they can, the Persistent will attempt to use a silent dispel magic whenever a PC caster tries to do anything. This can get EXTREMELY frustrating for the players. If they are merely overcoming an obstacle when the dispel occurs, that's merely a nuisance. If the Persistent uses her dispels while the PCs are fighting another enemy, add to the EL of the encounter. This character can be extremely lethal. If the characters are relying on a spell to cross a chasm or some other deadly obstacle, the Persistent would be hard-pressed not to use their abilities.
The Spy: This character is much like the Persistent, but it is best suited for a Sorcerer. The Spy, like the Persistent, should be able to hide herself. She exists to keep an eye on the PCs and report their actions to his master. Silent spell is important to this caster as is Hide and Move Silently. An Arcane Trickster is a good choice for a higher-level Spy.
The Misjudged: Sorcerers appear in every culture and exceptional personalities exist who are capable of learning to be Wizards, even among the Ogres. Big, slow humanoids can make for a very sneaky NPC. Sorcerers are, of course, more common among these folk, but sometimes the modifiers to these races' Charisma are too great to bother. The author suggests that you make exceptions to the standard rules you use to generate your NPCs' ability scores when it comes to these casters. Assign an Intelligence score at least high enough for the NPC to cast spells of a level equal to their caster level, then adjust their other scores if you have an overwhelming sense of fairness. These monsters' Strength and Constitution can help these NPCs live much longer, but their CR will, sadly, decrease their casting ability. Choose spells that will enhance or complement their abilities in combat, especially defensive spells such as blink. If you have an open Feat, give them the ability to use a greataxe or bigger weapon. This will keep characters off their back as they cast spells. When PCs see a big NPC with a greataxe, they generally do not charge them, but instead, use arrows and spells. This assumption will give your Misjudged character a good two rounds of casting before they have to start worrying about attacks of opportunity. Spells which deflect missiles and spells are good ones for this character to use.
The Assistant: This character is best suited as a Wizard due to the fact that he requires the highest possible level dispel. This character will prepare as many dispels as possible even to the point of using higher-level spell slots. There are some feats available in supplements which increase a Wizard's ability to dispel and they would be well-served to have these feats. If your campaign uses the Psionics are Different rule, then this NPC should be given feats which allow them to affect psionic powers. In addition to dispels, the Assistant should also have enough defensive and transport spells to remain alive. This character is most likely to be the companion of a more physical-stat-oriented BBEG such as a Fighter or a Rogue.
There are a myriad of choices you can make for a Wizard NPC. Those I have listed above are not the only kind, but they are the most common. There are also a great deal of casters, much like the Assistant, whose roles are based on the types of spells they cast. "Lana, the Cold Mage" for instance, or "Felix, the Master of Force". There are a lot of prestige classes out there to help you flesh out this kind of character.
The best thing to remember about Wizards about NPCs is that they aren't dumb. Sorcerers are confident and careful about getting into situations they don't have the answers for. You should build these NPCs as if you were building a character for yourself. Most low-ranking casters should be placed in charge of a small group of similar-level NPCs. BBEGs and other important antagonists follow a different set of rules entirely.
The Antagonist
It has already been mentioned that it's very easy to fall into this rut of creating terribly bland BBEGs. We're not just talking about the spells they use or their flavor text. What's bad is their general design, the cut of their jibe, and their philosophy.
The List: I have a bit of an assignment for you. This may seem corny, but it works, I promise. Open up Word, notepad, OpenOffice.org, EmEditor, or whatever you have. Copy and paste the list below and answer each one of these questions.
My BBEG:
These are all very important points and if you are not prepared to make the commitment to going this far into the NPCs details, you should not be basing a campaign around antagonists and you should just stick to simple bug hunts or pre-generated adventures. Not knowing just one of these things can spell doom for your NPC. Players are very cunning and they will find a way in through your carefully spun web and it's important to play the game on your terms. This is not a power trip. This is role you have chosen as a guide in this game. If you're on your game and on top of this list, your players will be grateful, even if it is more difficult for them. It's also important to have an answer to any question you can think of your players asking you. Being left staring at the players with a blank look on your face does not inspire confidence.
24 Intelligence: Your Wizard BBEG is much smarter than you. There has been a plethora of data and opinion written on this subject. They all seem to agree that your best defense against doing something stupid that your NPC would not do is to prepare. Prepare prepare prepare. You need to make sure all of your NPCs bases are covered. Remember, for a Wizard, there is no limit to the spells they can know and if they are smart enough to have contemplated their own weaknesses, then you should do everything you can to find a spell or a tactic that will ensure that base is covered.
Reiteration: Much of what is important I have discussed in previous articles, this is a short list of the more important items. It is imperative that your caster BBEG does not walk around alone. Only under very special circumstances should they not have bodyguards. They should have the area they sleep in warded and trapped (maybe using Explosive Runes or Fire Trap or some other nastiness). They should keep a scroll of teleport or some other means of escape handy at all times. Although there is a precedent for Sorcerer BBEGs being loners, they should know escape and defense spells above any attack spell they may have. These characters should be used to harry the PCs wherever they go and just generally make their lives miserable. Sleep is a very dangerous time of the day. Make certain that the guard set while your BBEG is resting is as great a challenge as if the PCs were fighting the BBEG and his entourage themselves. The caster, upon hearing the clamor, should cast Hold Portal on the door to give them time to face the PCs. Alarm is a good, simple spell that people rarely think of for their BBEG to keep her safe while she sleeps.
General Weaknesses
There are some general weaknesses of the Sorcerer and the Wizard which beg to be discussed.
D4 Hit Die: This is the big one, really. The Arcanist is capable of increasing their hit points with several spells and feats. A Wizard might be able to afford toughness or even improved toughness, but a Sorcerer's feats cannot be wasted on feats that give only a handful of hit points. If they have time to cast a powerful polymorph, then that will do just fine. There is always the danger of dispelling or disjunction, but that's just something that comes with the territory.
Low Armor Class: Even with Bracers of Armor, a full deflection bonus, and a full natural armor bonus, the Wizard and the Sorcerer are incredibly susceptible to attack and there are several spells to aid in this. Stoneskin is right out. It is a very powerful spell and it lasts a good, long time (which also helps cover the "low hit points" weakness as well. Shield is a low-level spell and produces a shield bonus, which is great for stacking purposes. There are several spells in supplemental materials both from WotC and other sources.
Other Spellcasters: Spell resistance, Spell Turning, and the varying levels of Spell Immunity are wonderful defenses against other spells. It's important to use the highest level spell immunity possible to keep from getting hit with dispels
Knowledge and Metagaming
This really deserves its own section. It's that important. If you only heed only one part of this essay, please heed this. Do not be afraid to use your knowledge of the PCs against them. It is not recommend that you wantonly metagame, but I really must reiterate the intelligence of your NPC caster. In this case, the Sorcerer's "glow" will also serve well.
A powerful character, be it a sorcerer, wizard, or otherwise, will have a ton of eyes and ears throughout the region. A powerful Sorcerer will have dozens or even hundreds of contacts, perhaps even the close ear of royalty. Using scrying powers and items, a caster should be able to monitor any strange folk asking strange questions might bring to their city or town. By the time the PCs make it to the BBEG's lair, the BBEG will be prepared for them (for instance, their spell immunities will be set for the spells the PCs use the most).
If a BBEG does get wind of the PCs, she will be compelled to strike quickly against them. They won't, however, be that stupid. It's better to fight on their own terms. Perhaps the BBEG might send a few reagents against the PCs in order to test their mettle and get an idea of their abilities with a trusted ally watching on in secret. If the PCs allow any of these attackers to survive, the trusted ally should to dispatch any would-be prisoner so they cannot be coerced into giving information.
An unprepared caster BBEG is a dead BBEG. You only have yourself to blame if the character you spent hours developing is killed because she was not given the tools she needed to fight the PCs.
In Conclusion
I apologize for the time this took to create with school and all. This has been sitting in pieces on my desktop for months and I just had a surge of inspiration today.
If any of you have the time and the gumption, go ahead and fill out the checklist for a BBEG you have in mind, or tell us about a new BBEG you've been proud of. I know the reason y'all have been waiting for this article was because you to proudly share your favorite caster BBEG.
I especially like the list of question concerning the BBEG, and I think it should be used on every kind of BBEG. It's not because a Barbarian BBEG hates magic that he should not prepare against a foe teleporting in his bedroom! But once again, your Assistant is all designed to answer this problem. Here is one thing that a DM or player could do to improve an Arcane Caster: the first level should be taken as Bard. This gives a lot of advantages for the lost of only one caster level:
- Free use of wands of Cure X wounds.
- A great amount of useful skills (all knowledges, listen, spot, sense motive, diplomacy, bluff)
- Both wizard and sorcerer class skills are also class skill for the bard.
- Proficiency in some martial weapons; this is useful for a low-level arcane caster who would quickly spend his few spells.
- For the wizard: the bard/wizard would know a few spells not needing the spellbook.
- For the sorcerer: the bard/sorcerer would know additional spells to complement his poor spell choice.
Oh my Lord. I don't even know where to begin. Anyone have any ideas? LOL
For me, it's hard NOT to kill the party even with a single wizard BBEG unaided. Enemy PC has cast See Invisible/True Sight/Fly? Dispel Magic on your next turn. Don't forget that a lot of wondrous items have a low caster level, so your full caster dispel may also dispel/suppress other things too. I ran a fight where the players had to teleport out from the wizard who had killed 2 and crippled another and they didn't get ONE single attack against him, nor see him.