Turanil
First Post
After having read many messages about what should or should not be spellcasters in a d20 Middle Earth setting, I decided to create a core class of my own for it. The idea is to not change the system of magic, to have it balanced to sorcerers and wizards, and that it may have some originality, as well as a system enabling to cast many different spells without preparation.
I would be glad to get comments on balance, clarity, writing style (english is not my native language), skills, abilities, and get other suggestions.
There is a doc file with fine editing for this class if you would prefer for ease of reading. Normally attached here; or just ask me (by email).
Thanks,
DOM
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MAGICIAN core class
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- Hit-die: d4
- BAB: as sorcerers / wizards
- Saves: as sorcerers / wizards
- Spell progression: much similar to that of a generalist wizard (but a few more low level spells and less high level spells).
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Compared to all other magic-users, arcane and divine, those who prepare their spells and those for whom magic is innate, the magician is at the crossroads. In fact, in a world where exist a great variety of methods to tap on the energies of magic, magicians often consider themselves as the "true" mages. The fact is, that magicians have somewhat more flexibility than sorcerers and wizards. However, despite what they claim, magicians are still not the epitome of magic-wielding.
Adventures:
Magicians will typically adventure as a way to gain more magic. Of course, magicians are people, too, and may have all the more common motivations for adventuring.
Characteristics:
Magicians are as flexible as sorcerers, but may know more spells. However, they are more restricted as to the number of spells per day they can cast than a regular wizard, and must restrict their studies to certain schools of magic.
Alignment: Magicians can be of any alignment. However, as they often are scholars reveling in the study of their "art", they do not much concern with the mundane affairs of everyday lives and peoples. As such, magicians tend toward neutral alignments.
Religion:
Magicians rarely adhere to any religion. They may have some mystical tendencies, but this is typically a matter of "becoming in tune with the magic". Others could have a great interest and respect for everything which pertains to the deities of magic, but they do rarely worship them. In fact, many magicians view the idea of worshipping the "gods" either as a superstition, or the hypocritical position of those too mediocre to learn magic by themselves.
Background: Magicians are typically urban characters raised in the ancient cities of a refined society. They almost never come from savage areas, as becoming a magician requires an elaborate training that is rarely available in the backcountry. In fact most magicians learned their art at some University of High Knowledge. In any case, they come from places with ancient and perfected traditions of magic.
Races/Gender:
Most magicians will be either of the "elder" races, or the "greater" races, or have blood of such races running in their veins. As such, mostly aasimars, elves, half elves, or half celestials will be of the magician class. Members of any other race will seldom have got, not only the potential to become a magician, but also the special training it requires.
Other classes:
As other wizards and sorcerers, magicians appreciate to work with members of other classes. They know the value of being able to cast spells from behind strong warriors, or to "magic up" rogues and send them out to scout. However, this generally applies only to non-magic-using classes. In fact, magicians have a tendency to see themselves as the only "true mages" and become arrogant when it comes to other spellcasters. Then, some magicians even believe themselves superior to anyone else. Such characters will haughtily give their advice on everything, even when they know little about it, and typically insist on being the undisputed leader of any group they are in.
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GAME RULE INFORMATION
Magicians have the following game statistics.
Abilities:
Wisdom determines how powerful a spell a magician can cast, how many spells the magician can cast per day, and how hard those spells are to resist. To cast a spell, a magician must have a Wisdom score of 10 + the spell's level. A magician gets bonus spells based on Wisdom. The Difficulty Class of a saving throw against a magician's spell is 10 + the spell's level + the magician's Wisdom modifier. Then, Intelligence is also very important to a magician, as her ability to get spells beyond the limit of her level is based on Intelligence.
Alignment: any.
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CLASS SKILLS
The magician's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Alchemy (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Knowledge (all) (Int), Profession (Wis), Scry (Int), Spellcraft (Int), and Use magic device (Cha).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + INT modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + INT modifier.
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CLASS FEATURES
All of the following are class features of the Magician.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency:
Magicians are proficient with the club, dagger, heavy crossbow, light crossbow, and quarterstaff. Magicians are not proficient with any type of armor nor with shields. In fact, armor interferes with a magician's movements, which can cause her spells to fail (if such spells have somatic components).
Spells (casting):
A magician is limited to casting a certain number of spells of each level per day, but needs not prepare her spells in advance. The number of spells she can cast per day is improved by her Wisdom bonus spells, if any. For instance, at 1st level the Magician can cast three 1st level spells per day (two for being 1st level, plus one for her high Wisdom). Then, she knows four 1st level spells (two for being 1st level, plus two embedded in her focus): Charm person, Cure Light Wounds, Mount, and Sleep. In any given day she can cast these spells in any combination she wishes, up to the point she has cast three 1st level spells. This could be Sleep three times; or Cure Light Wounds, Mount, and Sleep once for each; or still another combination. She does not have to decide ahead of time which spells she'll cast.
A magician may use a higher-level spell slot to cast a lower-level spell if she so chooses. However, the spell is still treated as its actual level, not the level of the slot used to cast it.
Spells Known:
A magician casts spells according to her character table. Her selection of spells depends both on her level (Normal Spells Known) and on her focus (Focus Spells Known).
• Normal Spells: These are the spells the magician learns once and for all, similar in this regard to the sorcerer class. In this regard however, her selection of spells is limited. She begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st level spells of her choice. At each level, the magician gains additional spells known, as indicated on the table thereafter (a high Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score do not increases that number). Thus, when attaining new experience levels, she can learn new spells up to the maximum indicated on the table thereafter. These spells must be chosen from the magician's spell list (see at end of class description).
Spell known table: similar to that of sorcerers.
• Focus spells: In addition to her normal spells known, the magician can know an unlimited number of spells (similar to the wizard class in this regard), provided these additional spells have been embedded in her focus (see thereafter). Such spells are gained and learned as a wizard would learn new spells from scrolls, spellbooks, etc. That is, the magician must be of the required level to cast the spell, have an Intelligence score at least equal to 10 + the spell's level, and succeed a spellcraft check to understand it.
Furthermore, spells that are learned in this manner, need not be on her regular magician spell list. Instead, the magician has access to a number of schools equal to her intelligence modifier. These schools are chosen once and for all at character's creation. (Alternately a GM may allow a PC to choose these schools in the course of her career as she encounters new spells. But once she has learned a spell from a school of magic, that school is considered chosen, and cannot be changed thereafter.) For example, a magician with an Intelligence of 15 (+2 modifier) could embed in her focus any spell from the Divination and Enchantment schools, whether these spells belong to her spell list or not. Note lastly, that when a spell normally belongs to several spell lists (bard, cleric, wizard, etc.), its level for a magician is based on the Sor/Wiz spell level first. If it doesn't belong to the Sor/Wiz list, it is based on the cleric level, and if it also doesn't belong to the cleric list, it is based on the druid level.
Magician's Focus:
Magicians are different from other arcane spellcasters in that they use a special focus for their magic. This focus is usually a staff, but it could be a necklace, book, or almost anything else of an appropriate size and outlook. It serves two purposes: to be able to know more spells than their class otherwise allows (see above and below), and to cast their spells more easily or more powerfully:
• Embed spells: The magician has the possibility to put spells into her focus, so it acts as a repository of spells known beyond the limit due to her class and level. These spells are thereafter cast as she would cast a spell that she knows normally, that is: if she has a spell slot available to cast it. There is no limit to the number of spells a focus can hold in this manner.
• Channel spells: The magician can of course cast her spells in the normal manner, that is: with normal somatic, verbal, and material components. However, casting spells through her focus gives her several benefits. The first benefit is to suppress the need for material components (at least those consumed during spellcasting), and somatic component are replaced by simple focus manipulation, like pointing it toward the target of the spell (Yet this doesn't reduce chance for spell failure when wearing armor). Then, at higher levels, the focus gets some improvements that enable to cast spells with other special benefits.
A focus is attuned to its owner, so nobody may use a magician's focus but the one who crafted it. On the other hand, a magician may have any number of focuses, although creating them is time, money, and XP consuming, and only one focus may be used at a time, so a magician will rarely have more than one focus.
Focus Improvement:
At 5th level, the magician's focus gains a magical enhancement bonus of +1, that increases to +2 at 10th level, +3 at 15th level, and +4 at 20th level. This bonus applies to the following:
• Attack or defense: The focus receives the bonus either to attack and damage (if a staff), or as a bonus to AC (if a necklace, crown, etc.).
• Special focus: Any spell cast using the focus add that bonus to the DC of its saving throws.
• Special penetration: The magician gets that bonus to caster level checks (1d20 + caster level) to beat a creature's spell resistance.
Craft Focus:
Similar to an Item Creation feat, magicians know how to craft (and then improve) their magical focus. However, the kind of focus that
a magician will use throughout her career is determined once and for all at character's creation. So, if
a magician would choose the staff for her focus, she will ever after only be able to craft and use a focus that in essence is a staff. Otherwise, a focus is usable indefinitely (it is not limited by a number of charges spent with each casting).
• Creating a basic focus: Costs 1250 gold pieces (worth of various specific materials) and 100 XP. (Note that every magician begins play with a focus he doesn't have to pay for.) Whatever its aspect and main material are, a focus is always: Hardness 15, and Hit-points 30.
• Embed spells: Embedding a spell formula in a focus costs 200 gp per spell level (100 gp for a zero level spell); plus 20 XP per spell level. (Note this 200 gp cost per level is intended to have the magician on par with a wizard scribing spells in his spellbook. If you don't use such values for a wizard, reduce these for magicians of an equal value. The XP cost however, should not be reduced.)
• Improve focus: When a magician first gets the levels at which the focus receives an improvement, her focus (only one if she has several, and always the same), she doesn't any gold piece or XP for it. However, subsequent foci each require 1250 gp (worth of various specific materials) and 100 XP for every degree of improvement.
Magician's Expertise:
Due to their keen understanding of magic, at 3rd level magicians gain a +2 competence bonus to the skills: Scry, Spellcraft, and Use magic device. At 8th, 13th, and 18th levels, this bonus further increases by one point.
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EX MAGICIAN
While the Magician can freely multiclass with non-spellcasting classes, she is restricted when it comes to other magic-using classes. In fact, if a magician decides to multiclass with any other spellcasting class, she cannot progress anymore as a magician. This is because, she opts to follow a path of a somewhat inferior magic.
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I would be glad to get comments on balance, clarity, writing style (english is not my native language), skills, abilities, and get other suggestions.
There is a doc file with fine editing for this class if you would prefer for ease of reading. Normally attached here; or just ask me (by email).
Thanks,
DOM
---------------------------------------
MAGICIAN core class
---------------------------------------
- Hit-die: d4
- BAB: as sorcerers / wizards
- Saves: as sorcerers / wizards
- Spell progression: much similar to that of a generalist wizard (but a few more low level spells and less high level spells).
---------------------------------------
Compared to all other magic-users, arcane and divine, those who prepare their spells and those for whom magic is innate, the magician is at the crossroads. In fact, in a world where exist a great variety of methods to tap on the energies of magic, magicians often consider themselves as the "true" mages. The fact is, that magicians have somewhat more flexibility than sorcerers and wizards. However, despite what they claim, magicians are still not the epitome of magic-wielding.
Adventures:
Magicians will typically adventure as a way to gain more magic. Of course, magicians are people, too, and may have all the more common motivations for adventuring.
Characteristics:
Magicians are as flexible as sorcerers, but may know more spells. However, they are more restricted as to the number of spells per day they can cast than a regular wizard, and must restrict their studies to certain schools of magic.
Alignment: Magicians can be of any alignment. However, as they often are scholars reveling in the study of their "art", they do not much concern with the mundane affairs of everyday lives and peoples. As such, magicians tend toward neutral alignments.
Religion:
Magicians rarely adhere to any religion. They may have some mystical tendencies, but this is typically a matter of "becoming in tune with the magic". Others could have a great interest and respect for everything which pertains to the deities of magic, but they do rarely worship them. In fact, many magicians view the idea of worshipping the "gods" either as a superstition, or the hypocritical position of those too mediocre to learn magic by themselves.
Background: Magicians are typically urban characters raised in the ancient cities of a refined society. They almost never come from savage areas, as becoming a magician requires an elaborate training that is rarely available in the backcountry. In fact most magicians learned their art at some University of High Knowledge. In any case, they come from places with ancient and perfected traditions of magic.
Races/Gender:
Most magicians will be either of the "elder" races, or the "greater" races, or have blood of such races running in their veins. As such, mostly aasimars, elves, half elves, or half celestials will be of the magician class. Members of any other race will seldom have got, not only the potential to become a magician, but also the special training it requires.
Other classes:
As other wizards and sorcerers, magicians appreciate to work with members of other classes. They know the value of being able to cast spells from behind strong warriors, or to "magic up" rogues and send them out to scout. However, this generally applies only to non-magic-using classes. In fact, magicians have a tendency to see themselves as the only "true mages" and become arrogant when it comes to other spellcasters. Then, some magicians even believe themselves superior to anyone else. Such characters will haughtily give their advice on everything, even when they know little about it, and typically insist on being the undisputed leader of any group they are in.
----------------------------------------------------------------
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Magicians have the following game statistics.
Abilities:
Wisdom determines how powerful a spell a magician can cast, how many spells the magician can cast per day, and how hard those spells are to resist. To cast a spell, a magician must have a Wisdom score of 10 + the spell's level. A magician gets bonus spells based on Wisdom. The Difficulty Class of a saving throw against a magician's spell is 10 + the spell's level + the magician's Wisdom modifier. Then, Intelligence is also very important to a magician, as her ability to get spells beyond the limit of her level is based on Intelligence.
Alignment: any.
---------------------------------------
CLASS SKILLS
The magician's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Alchemy (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Knowledge (all) (Int), Profession (Wis), Scry (Int), Spellcraft (Int), and Use magic device (Cha).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + INT modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + INT modifier.
---------------------------------------
CLASS FEATURES
All of the following are class features of the Magician.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency:
Magicians are proficient with the club, dagger, heavy crossbow, light crossbow, and quarterstaff. Magicians are not proficient with any type of armor nor with shields. In fact, armor interferes with a magician's movements, which can cause her spells to fail (if such spells have somatic components).
Spells (casting):
A magician is limited to casting a certain number of spells of each level per day, but needs not prepare her spells in advance. The number of spells she can cast per day is improved by her Wisdom bonus spells, if any. For instance, at 1st level the Magician can cast three 1st level spells per day (two for being 1st level, plus one for her high Wisdom). Then, she knows four 1st level spells (two for being 1st level, plus two embedded in her focus): Charm person, Cure Light Wounds, Mount, and Sleep. In any given day she can cast these spells in any combination she wishes, up to the point she has cast three 1st level spells. This could be Sleep three times; or Cure Light Wounds, Mount, and Sleep once for each; or still another combination. She does not have to decide ahead of time which spells she'll cast.
A magician may use a higher-level spell slot to cast a lower-level spell if she so chooses. However, the spell is still treated as its actual level, not the level of the slot used to cast it.
Spells Known:
A magician casts spells according to her character table. Her selection of spells depends both on her level (Normal Spells Known) and on her focus (Focus Spells Known).
• Normal Spells: These are the spells the magician learns once and for all, similar in this regard to the sorcerer class. In this regard however, her selection of spells is limited. She begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st level spells of her choice. At each level, the magician gains additional spells known, as indicated on the table thereafter (a high Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score do not increases that number). Thus, when attaining new experience levels, she can learn new spells up to the maximum indicated on the table thereafter. These spells must be chosen from the magician's spell list (see at end of class description).
Spell known table: similar to that of sorcerers.
• Focus spells: In addition to her normal spells known, the magician can know an unlimited number of spells (similar to the wizard class in this regard), provided these additional spells have been embedded in her focus (see thereafter). Such spells are gained and learned as a wizard would learn new spells from scrolls, spellbooks, etc. That is, the magician must be of the required level to cast the spell, have an Intelligence score at least equal to 10 + the spell's level, and succeed a spellcraft check to understand it.
Furthermore, spells that are learned in this manner, need not be on her regular magician spell list. Instead, the magician has access to a number of schools equal to her intelligence modifier. These schools are chosen once and for all at character's creation. (Alternately a GM may allow a PC to choose these schools in the course of her career as she encounters new spells. But once she has learned a spell from a school of magic, that school is considered chosen, and cannot be changed thereafter.) For example, a magician with an Intelligence of 15 (+2 modifier) could embed in her focus any spell from the Divination and Enchantment schools, whether these spells belong to her spell list or not. Note lastly, that when a spell normally belongs to several spell lists (bard, cleric, wizard, etc.), its level for a magician is based on the Sor/Wiz spell level first. If it doesn't belong to the Sor/Wiz list, it is based on the cleric level, and if it also doesn't belong to the cleric list, it is based on the druid level.
Magician's Focus:
Magicians are different from other arcane spellcasters in that they use a special focus for their magic. This focus is usually a staff, but it could be a necklace, book, or almost anything else of an appropriate size and outlook. It serves two purposes: to be able to know more spells than their class otherwise allows (see above and below), and to cast their spells more easily or more powerfully:
• Embed spells: The magician has the possibility to put spells into her focus, so it acts as a repository of spells known beyond the limit due to her class and level. These spells are thereafter cast as she would cast a spell that she knows normally, that is: if she has a spell slot available to cast it. There is no limit to the number of spells a focus can hold in this manner.
• Channel spells: The magician can of course cast her spells in the normal manner, that is: with normal somatic, verbal, and material components. However, casting spells through her focus gives her several benefits. The first benefit is to suppress the need for material components (at least those consumed during spellcasting), and somatic component are replaced by simple focus manipulation, like pointing it toward the target of the spell (Yet this doesn't reduce chance for spell failure when wearing armor). Then, at higher levels, the focus gets some improvements that enable to cast spells with other special benefits.
A focus is attuned to its owner, so nobody may use a magician's focus but the one who crafted it. On the other hand, a magician may have any number of focuses, although creating them is time, money, and XP consuming, and only one focus may be used at a time, so a magician will rarely have more than one focus.
Focus Improvement:
At 5th level, the magician's focus gains a magical enhancement bonus of +1, that increases to +2 at 10th level, +3 at 15th level, and +4 at 20th level. This bonus applies to the following:
• Attack or defense: The focus receives the bonus either to attack and damage (if a staff), or as a bonus to AC (if a necklace, crown, etc.).
• Special focus: Any spell cast using the focus add that bonus to the DC of its saving throws.
• Special penetration: The magician gets that bonus to caster level checks (1d20 + caster level) to beat a creature's spell resistance.
Craft Focus:
Similar to an Item Creation feat, magicians know how to craft (and then improve) their magical focus. However, the kind of focus that
a magician will use throughout her career is determined once and for all at character's creation. So, if
a magician would choose the staff for her focus, she will ever after only be able to craft and use a focus that in essence is a staff. Otherwise, a focus is usable indefinitely (it is not limited by a number of charges spent with each casting).
• Creating a basic focus: Costs 1250 gold pieces (worth of various specific materials) and 100 XP. (Note that every magician begins play with a focus he doesn't have to pay for.) Whatever its aspect and main material are, a focus is always: Hardness 15, and Hit-points 30.
• Embed spells: Embedding a spell formula in a focus costs 200 gp per spell level (100 gp for a zero level spell); plus 20 XP per spell level. (Note this 200 gp cost per level is intended to have the magician on par with a wizard scribing spells in his spellbook. If you don't use such values for a wizard, reduce these for magicians of an equal value. The XP cost however, should not be reduced.)
• Improve focus: When a magician first gets the levels at which the focus receives an improvement, her focus (only one if she has several, and always the same), she doesn't any gold piece or XP for it. However, subsequent foci each require 1250 gp (worth of various specific materials) and 100 XP for every degree of improvement.
Magician's Expertise:
Due to their keen understanding of magic, at 3rd level magicians gain a +2 competence bonus to the skills: Scry, Spellcraft, and Use magic device. At 8th, 13th, and 18th levels, this bonus further increases by one point.
---------------------------------------
EX MAGICIAN
While the Magician can freely multiclass with non-spellcasting classes, she is restricted when it comes to other magic-using classes. In fact, if a magician decides to multiclass with any other spellcasting class, she cannot progress anymore as a magician. This is because, she opts to follow a path of a somewhat inferior magic.
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Well, I really don't have much success with this class. In fact it would be cool if I could get some comments to improve the class. Or maybe the class is fine as it is; but in this case i would be glad to know it too. 
