PrC Elven High Mage

Looking for input on developing a PrC. Possibly looking for simlar classes and or whether or not i should make it into a 10 level PrC instead

Elven High Mage

Elves with their natural inclinations towards magic have developed their own culture revolving around the magical arts. From these devotions rise the Elven high mages, a society of mages devoted to perpetuating magic and knowledge throughout the land. They are the traditional elven wizards, carrying a high level of grace and sophistication in the arts. They value lore and arcane secrets, but focus greatly upon the study of the arcane arts. They believe in guiding and teaching creatures of the other races to their own arcane paths while maintaining a respect for nature.


High mages often help maintain academies for the arcane arts, and almost all have private repositories of knowledge. While they often believe in the sharing of knowledge, they are not above stowing away that which they feel may pose a great danger in the wrong hands. Often they will serve as advisors or ambassadors from the Elven nations, and sometimes as advisors to other races.
Hit die: d4

Requirements:
To qualify to become an Elven High Mage, a character must fulfill the following requirements:
Race: Elf, Half Elf.
Spell casting: Ability to cast 5th level or higher arcane spells, from 4 schools of magic.
Skills: Knowledge Arcana: 12 ranks, Knowledge History 8 ranks, Knowledge: Elven History 5 ranks, Knowledge Nature: 8 ranks, Profession Teacher 5 ranks, Spell Craft: 12 ranks.
Feats: Spell Mastery and Spell Focus in any two schools of magic. Alternatively, spontaneous casters can ignore the spell mastery requirement with any two item creation or metamagic feats.

Class Skills:
The Elven High Mage’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Alchemy (int), Concentration (con), Craft (int), Diplomacy (int), Handle Animal (cha), Knowledge (all skills taken individually) (int), Profession (wis), Scry (int), Spell Craft (int).
Skill Points at each Level: 2 +int modifier.

Class Features:
All the following are class features of the Elven High Mage Prestige Class:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Elven High Mages gain no proficiency in any weapons, armors, or shields.

Spells per day: An Elven High Mage focuses intently on the study of the arcane. Thus, when a character gains a new level of Elven high Mage, she gains new spells per day as if she had also gained a level in whatever arcane spell casting class she belonged to before she added the prestige class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (metamagic or item creation feats, for example)
If a character had more than one arcane spell casting class before becoming an Elven High Mage, she must decide to which class she adds each level of Elven High mage for purposes of determining spells per day when she adds a new level.

Elven Lore: Coming to a better understanding in her studies through significant research the Elven High Mage gains further insight the world around her. The Elven High Mage gains an Insight bonus equal to her levels in Elven High Mage to any two knowledges.

Elven Insight: Pursuing ancient even lore and arcane studies, the Elven High Mage further refines her spellcraft. The Elven High Mage gains a free Skill focus feat in spellcraft.

Arcane Research: At second and fifth level through her extensive research in the magical arts the Elven High Mage gains a free feat from the following list: Spell Focus, Greater Spell Focus, Spell Penetration, Greater Spell Penetration, Spell Mastery, Improved Counter Spell, or any one item creation or metamagic feat.
Elven Spell mastery Reaching a pivotal point in her studies of elven magic, the Elven High Mage gains an even higher level of mastery over the art.
Elven wizards become further detached from their spell books and gain the spell mastery feat.
Arcane casters without a spell book gain two additional spells known at their highest spell level or below.



Lvl BAB Fort Ref Will Special -------------------- Spells Per Day
1--+0-- +0 -- +0-- +2 --Elven Lore, Elven Insight --- +1 level
2--+1-- +0 -- +0-- +3 -------------------------------- +1 level
3--+1-- +1 -- +1-- +3 -------------------------------- +1 level
4--+2-- +1 -- +1-- +4 --Arcane Research-------------- +1 level
5--+2-- +1 -- +1-- +4 -- Elven Spell Mastery --------- +1 Level

It looks good.

Every elven wizard would take this because it is in every way better than wizard, and requires no feats that a wizard wouldn't take anyway. Nor does it have any cool or different abilities.

Since it only adds power and nothing else to the already powerful wizard class I give it a thumbs down.

Er... it seems like an elf of halfelf wizard or sorcerer who takes this prestige class gains:
-2 skill points per level;
-better bonus feats than the wizard;
-extra stuff to boot;
-PLUS everything a sorcerer or wizard would get (spells, familiar advancement, etc.)

Generally a prestige class shouldn't be so clearly superior to a base class. You should drop the skill points to 2/level to be in line with wizard/sorcerer and drop something else as well (the familiar advancement, perhaps?)

I'd also do something to make it more specifically elven, but I'm not sure what. But of course, if you add more goodies you have to take away something.

Then would it help to add more requirements to obtaining the class? I was thinking another spell focus, or metamagic, or perhaps spell mastery. Wheras spell mastery would fit, it would prevent sorcerers and bards from getting the PrC.

You can add a prerequite of Skill Focus Knowledge Arcana, and 5 ranks in Knowledge Elven History. I'd get rid of Scry and Alchemy requirements as they have nothing to do with the class. I'd lose the gaining abilities of a familiar unless you develope that into a specific elven type of familiar.

the Jester said:

Er... it seems like an elf of halfelf wizard or sorcerer who takes this prestige class gains:
-2 skill points per level;
-better bonus feats than the wizard;
-extra stuff to boot;
-PLUS everything a sorcerer or wizard would get (spells, familiar advancement, etc.)

Generally a prestige class shouldn't be so clearly superior to a base class. You should drop the skill points to 2/level to be in line with wizard/sorcerer and drop something else as well (the familiar advancement, perhaps?)

I'd also do something to make it more specifically elven, but I'm not sure what. But of course, if you add more goodies you have to take away something.

Click to expand...

Done dropped the skill points.
Thinking that perhaps adding a 5 ranks in wilderness lore requirment - would make it a little harder to get, would force a 10 point commitment? ideas?

animesuperman said:

Done dropped the skill points.
Thinking that perhaps adding a 5 ranks in wilderness lore requirment - would make it a little harder to get, would force a 10 point commitment? ideas?

Click to expand...

Not a bad idea, and it goes along with the "elfy" thing more... but I'd still do something to give it a more elven feeling somehow.

Maybe instead of the bonus feats give them the elf domain? Although that's actually a fairly big bonus for an arcane caster... In any event, I still recommend dropping the familiar advancement, a sorcerer loses nothing by taking this class and you should always have some reason to keep advancing your base class (even if not a great reason).

note that it's very difficult to qualify for the elven high mage (as with the loremaster), since (I think) sorcerers don't have most knowledge skills as class skills as wizards do. A sorcerer _can't_ become a high mage at 10th level without taking a level in something else (or picking Cosmopolitan, if that's allowed) for Knowledge (nature) and pumping a lot of skill points into cross-class skills. So I don't think that's a problem.

Altogether I think this is quite a good prestige class -- the small benefits are justified, I think, by the significant requirements, especially the 5 ranks in Knowledge (elven history).

I would also drop the bonus feats and give access to the Elf domain, though.

I originally was thinking of Elven High Magic from Magic of Faerun but since there isn't a system and place and all indications lead that to be on an epic scale. So I'm at a loss.

Consider something with the elements, perhaps energy admixture or mastery of elemetns from archmage but niether really work in.