Faery Magi variant class

See design notes in follow-up. Feedback appreciated.

FAERY MAGI


Faery magi are born infused with the raw energies and passions of magic. They wield magic as other beings wield tools; both as a fine art and as a precise craft. Spells are woven from strands of magic as a weaver creates a tapestry, only to later unweave this scene and form it anew in an entirely different pattern. All fey possess a supernatural ability to create spell-like effects. But the faery magi surpass all others among their kind in magical ability. Some legends hold that these magi first taught humans how to cast arcane spells, providing a part of their knowledge as a gift of friendship. However the faery magi suffer none of the handicaps of the humans in casting their spells. They have no need for spellbooks to prepare their spells, and do not need materials as crutches to perform their magic.

Adventures: Faery magi adventure for the excitement of discovering wondrous worlds; for the joy of wielding surges of pure magic in their hands, and the pleasures and passions of a life on the road. Every path leads to new knowledge and great works; every door conceals a great secret to be revealed. No place is too drab not to hold a gem of wisdom; no land is so tame as not to hide the true marvel. But most of all, faery magi seek adventure to expand their magical horizons, and to master that which can never be tamed--the magic of their inner being.

Characteristics: Faery magi are beings who are infused with the energies of magic. They wield spells at will, and can learn a great variety of magical abilities. Their spells are prepared by forming links out of strands of magical energy. However these links are powerful and energetic in nature, so faery magi are only able to establish a limited number of stable links each day.

Even the most powerful of faery magi have only a limited capacity for maintaining such magical links. As long as the number of links does not exceed a certain threshold, these can be held indefinitely. Going over the capacity of the magus, however, will result in magical trauma, as the raw energy is unleashed to rend both mind and body. Fortunately, as faery magi increase in experience, they are better able to maintain more and more magical links without risking this effect.

Alignment: For faery magi, magic is as much an art as a discipline, and a fine balance between the two is required. Faery magi tend toward neutrality as they seek a path between the extremes of order and
chaos.

Religion: Faery magi commonly worship the gods of their own kind, especially deities associated with magic. Many are followers of nature deities, and not a few even worship nature itself.

Background: Faery magi are born of magic, and quickly display an ability to manifest the gifts that are the heritage of their race. Much of their youth is spent mastering the wild surge of energy that rage through their being. They lack the intuitive gift of the sorcerer to channel magical power, and so must learn the graceful discipline of the magi through patient instruction and training. With time they gain greater control over this torrent of magic, and learn to weave its strands for useful purpose.

Faery magi always feel a strong draw toward their uniquely magical place of birth. Most have a deep sense of community with their fellow planar inhabitants, and often form strong personal bonds among their own kind.

Races: Faery magi are born of the folk from other planes, where magic is in the blood. However it is not unheard of for even common folk, with some blood of the fey running in their veins, to occasionally show an ability in the craft.

Other Classes: Faery magi especially favor the company of the bard, with whom they often have a distinct love of lore and the arts. They share with wizards an enthusiasm for magic and the arcane, and usually look kindly upon sorcerers with whom they possess the common gift of innate magic.

Most get along well with druids and rangers, as many fayerie magi are nature lovers. Less agreeable to the magi are the rigidly honorable paladins; the disciplined monks, and the wild and disagreeable barbarian.

GAME RULE INFORMATION

Faery magi have the following game statistics.

Abilities: Intelligence determines how powerful a spell a faery magus can cast, how many spells the faery magus can cast per day, and how hard it is to resist these spells. To cast a spell faery magi must have an Intelligence score of 10 + the spell's level. In addition, faery magi gets bonus spells based on Intelligence. The Difficulty Class of a saving throw against faery magi spells is 10 + the spells level plus the Intelligence modifier. High Dexterity is helpful for faery magi, who typically wears little or no armor, because it provides them with an Armor Class bonus. A good Constitution gives faery magi extra hit points, a resource that they are otherwise very low on.

Races: Faery magi must be fey, or an outsider with fey blood, and must have at least one innate spell-like ability.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Dice: d4.

Class Skills

The faery magi's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Spot (Wis). See Chapter 4: Skills in the core rulebook I for skill descriptions.

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 faery magi class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Faery magi are skilled with all simple weapons. Faery magi are not proficient with any type of armor or shields. Armor of any type interferes with a faery magi's movement, which can cause her spells to fail (if those spells have somatic components).

Spells: Faery magi casts arcane spells, the same type of spells available to wizards. The faery magi are limited to casting a certain number of spells of each level per day. The number of spells they can cast each day is improved by their bonus spells, if any. A faery magi's bonus spells are based on Intelligence. (See the Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells table in the core rulebook I.)

To learn or cast a spell, faery magi must have an Intelligence score of at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for saving throws against faery magi spells is 10 + the spell's level + the faery magi's Intelligence modifier.

Each day the faery magi must ready their mind to cast her daily allotment of spells. This task is performed in the same manner that a sorcerer regains spell slots. As with sorcerers, any spells cast within the last 8 hours counts against the faery magi's daily limit. Faery magi may use a higher-level slot to cast a lower-level spell if he so chooses. The spell is treated as its actual level, not the level of the slot used to cast it. (However, see spell potency below.)

Like a sorcerer, the faery magi have only a limited selection of spells available for casting. However this selection of spells can be modified by changing the linked spells. Faery magi must ready their spell links each day in order to prepare spells. They cannot cast any spells that have not been linked.

Each spell requires a number of spell link points equal to the spell level. The maximum number of spell levels that can be linked is listed in the class table above. These spell links can be assigned to any of the spells known by the faery magi.

Unlike bards and sorcerers, faery magi may know any number of spells. Faery magi can add new spells to their repertoire through several methods.

Faery magi have a limited selection of innate spells that are automatically known. (See the table of innate spells below.) They can also study a spell that is in a spellbook or scroll. No matter what the spell's source, the character must first decipher the magical writing. Next, the faery magi must spend a day studying the spell. At the end of the day, the character must make a Spellcraft check at DC 15 + spell's level. If the check succeeds, the faery magi understands the spell.

The process of learning a spell leaves a spellbook unharmed, but a spell successfully learned from a magic scroll disappears from the scroll.

If the check fails, then the faery magi cannot understand the spell and cannot attempt to learn it again, even if she studies it from another source, until she gains another rank in Spellcraft. If the failed check was made for a spell on a scroll, the spell does not vanish from the scroll.

Faery magi are able to research a spell independently, duplicating an existing spell or creating an entirely new one.

Spell Links: In order to prepare a spell for casting, the faery magi must first establish a spell link. This link is a type of magical channel that makes a spell available for repeated use. The number of spell levels that can be linked for casting is limited and is based upon the class level. (See the table of class levels above.)

Establishing a spell link is all the preparation that is required for casting a spell. These spell links are not affected when the faery magi casts a prepared spell, and they can be used again indefinitely until replaced or canceled by the caster.

For example, a 4th-level faery magus has 2nd-level spell links for blur and web. With an Intelligence of 15, she gains a bonus 2nd-level spell slot for a total of three 2nd-level spells per day. She can cast now cast web three times during the day, or cast web fewer than three times and use the remainder for the blur spell.

Each day the faery magus can establish 4 0-level spell links +1 per 2 levels (max 9) at no cost in spell link points. Thereafter up to two 0-level spell links can be established for each spell link point spent.

If the character dies, all spell links are canceled. Potent magic (such as raise dead or resurrection) that restores the character to life does not recover these spell links, and they must be prepared normally.

Components: Due to their spell links, faery magi never require a material component to cast a spell. If the faery magi possesses the required material component, it is not annihilated by the spell energies in the casting process.

If a spell has a material component that does not have a negligible cost, the character must instead pay a experience point (XP) cost for casting the spell. The XP cost is 1 XP per 25 gp of material component cost, with fractions rounded up. Thus a spell with a material component that has a cost of 150 gp will entail a 6 XP loss to cast. This XP cost is cumulative with any other XP cost for the spell.

All other arcane spell components are still required for a faery magi to cast a wizard spell.

Innate Spells: All faery magi automatically gains the following spells upon reaching the listed class level. Any additional spells beyond those listed must be acquired through study or other means.

• 1st level -- charm person, dancing lights, daze, detect magic, disguise self, prestidigitation, read magic, resistance, sleep, ventriloquism.
• 3rd level -- detect thoughts, invisibility, see invisibility.
• 5th level -- dispel magic, displacement, tongues.
• 7th level -- dimension door, greater invisibility, polymorph.
• 9th level -- dominate person, dream, passwall.
• 11th level -- analyze dweomer, greater dispel magic, veil.
• 13th level -- greater teleport, plane shift, spell turning.
• 15th level -- binding, protection from spells.
• 17th level -- foresight, shapechange.

Scribe Book: Starting at 2nd level, faery magi are able to add spells into a spellbook like a wizard. The requirements for adding the spell are identical to those for a wizard. In order to record a spell in a spellbook, the character must first link the spell. The process cancels the link for that spell, but the spell remains understood and a new link can be later established.

Once a spell has been copied into a spellbook, a wizard is able to learn and copy the spell.

Spell Adoption: Starting at 4th level, faery magi gain the extraordinary ability to learn wizardry spells merely by observing a creature cast those spells. You must be able to watch and listen to the spell being cast from beginning to end, and can perform no other action besides taking a 5-ft. step each round.

If you are within 10 ft. of the spell caster and are not distracted or hindered from observing the spell, then you have successfully observed the spell being cast. Otherwise, for spells with visual and material components, you must make a DC 10 Spot skill check. In addition, listening to spells that have a somatic component requires a DC 10 Listen skill check.

If the observation attempt is successful, the faery magi can then try to understand the spell in exactly the same manner if they were studying it from a spellbook. Thus it requires a full day of contemplation before the spell can be understood. However, in order to understand a spell through adoption, the character must make a Spellcraft check at DC 20 + spell level +1 per full day since the spell was observed.

Bonus Feats: Every six levels, faery magi gain a bonus feat. This feat must be a metamagic feat or an item creation feat.

Note: these feats are in addition to those granted to every character by level regardless of class. Feats granted by overall character level (as opposed to class level) need not be metamagic or item creation feats.

Break Bind: Starting at 8th level, a faery magus can attempt to dismiss a spell she previously cast when this is not normally allowed. Dismissing the spell requires concentration for a full round, followed a successful Will save against the spell. If the save is successful the spell is immediately dismissed. If this save is failed, she can not make any further attempts. In all other respects, break bind is identical to the process of dismissing a spell that can be dismissed at will.

Spell Potency: Starting at 16th level, faery magi can cast especially potent spells by using a higher-level spell slot. The saving throw against a lower-level spell cast using a higher-level slot has a DC of 10 + the level of the spell slot + your Intelligence bonus.

For example, if a 16th-level faery magus with an Intelligence of 17 casts a 3rd-level spell using a 6th-level slot, a saving throw against the spell has a DC of 10 + 6 + 3 = 19.

Pixie Faery Magus Starting Package

Armor: None (speed 20 ft., fly 60 ft. (good)).
Weapons: Dagger (1d3, crit x3, 1 lb., light, piercing).
Composite shortbow (1d4, crit x3, range inc. 70 ft., 2 lb., piercing).
Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 2 + Int modifier.


Feat: Spell Focus (Enchantment).
Spells Known: 0-level spells--dancing lights, daze, detect magic, read magic, resistance.
1st-level spells--change self, charm person, sleep, ventriloquism.
Gear: Small bow, quiver with 10 arrows, dagger, belt pouch, 3 day's rations.
Gold: 2d6 gp.

Design notes

The benefits of this arcane spell-casting class are:

• Ability to cast any "known" spells like a Sorcerer.
• Ability to learn any spells like a Wizard.
• Ability to cast spells without using material components.
• Ability to learn a spell just by watching another cast it.
• Three unique special abilities.

To balance out this class, I did the following:

• Only members of the fey race can take this class.
• The BaB, saves, skill points, armor, shield, and weapon proficiency are equal to those of the Wizard.
• Slightly fewer bonus feats than a Wizard, but a couple of extra class skills.
• The spells that can be cast at any one time must be prepared after resting by using "links"; spending link points equal to the spell levels.
• The number of link points is roughly comparable to the spell levels known by the Sorcerer class. (I tweaked the number slightly to make it increase at a steady rate, since the Sorcerer spell level progression is more stair-stepped.)
• The maximum number of (non-0-level) spells cast per day is comparable to the Druid, and is less than the Sorcerer, specialist Wizard, or Cleric.
• The Faery Magus doesn't get a choice of new spells upon increasing a level. Instead they gain innate spells.
• The Faery Magus doesn't get a familiar.
• Spells with material components that normally
• Spells with material components that normally have a monetary cost instead require an XP payment to cast.

Seems to be a little more on the powerful side - especially the "learn by watching" ability.

I have to ask - when you say "wizardy" spells, do you mean arcane, or spells that appear on the wizard/socerer spell list? When the spell is understood, does the spellcaster still have to pay the scribing cost to put down this spell into their spell book? To tone down the power of the Spell Adoption, I'd recomend making the spot and listen checks dependant on the level of the spell being cast. So a level 1 spell would have DC of 11, while a level 9 spell has a DC of 19. It seems logical to me that there would be subtle, hard to observe nuances that become more difficult to spot/hear as spells increase in difficulty.

I would also allow the bonus feats to be used to pick up spell focus or greater spell focus.

Erge

Really Like it

I really like the concept but I, personally, think its too powerful.

If I use it I'm going to split the class over two faeries, both necessary for all but the most powerful magic. When casting, the Faeries talk in an unnerving echo. They each must be the others familiar for the bond to work and they each form a focus back to the fey for the other.

In literature you very often see faeries as a group encounter, semi invisible etc...

Sigurd