Memnus
First Post
If this class has been introduced already, let me know... if not....
Prestige class: Archmage
No profession is as selective, and very few as dangerous, as the wielding of arcane magic. The most powerful casters touch the very essence of magic itself, warping it to suit their whims.
The Thirteen Kingdoms Archmage is as presented in the DMG 3.5, with the following changes:
Special: To become an archmage, in addition to the requirements in the DMG, a character must hold a position of influence in an organization that supports the study and use of arcane magic.
Highest Prestige: Archmages are well-known, highly respected, and even feared among their colleagues. When dealing with other arcane casters, an Archmage gains a bonus to her Diplomacy check equal to her class level.
Additional High Arcana: The Archmage may select any of the high arcana presented in the DMG, or one here.
Spontaneous casting (wizard only): Once per day as a standard action, the Archmage may sacrifice a prepared spell to instead cast any other spell she has prepared of lower level. The caster may add any metamagic feats she has to the spontaneous spell so long as the total level remains less than the spell sacrificed, but the casting takes a full-round action (just as a sorceror does when using metamagic). For example, the Archmage Miranda has her hands bound, so she sacrifices her prepared Chain Lightning (level 5) to cast a Stilled Fireball (total level 4) on her captors. This ability costs one sixth-level spell slot. If a higher-level spell slot is paid instead, the ability may be used correspondingly more times per day - i.e., a ninth-level slot allows four uses per day.
Spell preparation (sorceror only): Each day, the Archmage may prepare and cast spells she knows as a wizard does. Metamagic spells prepared in this way take only a standard action to cast, rather than a full-round action. The prepared spells remain in the sorceror's mind and occupy spell slots until cast or changed. This ability costs one sixth-level spell slot.
Tenacious magic: The Archmage's spells are highly resistant to dispelling. If dispel magic or similar is successfully cast on one of the caster's spells, it is suppressed for 1d4 rounds and then returns, rather than being negated. This ability costs one ninth-level spell slot.
Bonus feat: The Archmage may select any feat from the wizard bonus feat list. This ability costs a fifth-level spell slot. This ability may be taken multiple times, but costs a higher-level spell slot each time.
Metamagic device: Three times per day, the Archmage may apply one of her metamagic feats to a spell cast from a wand, staff, scroll, or any other device. This ability costs one eight-level spell slot.
Adaptive counterspell: The Archmage may counter a spell by casting any spell from the target spell's school, as long as the spell used is of greater level than the target spell. Additionally, when using dispel magic or similar as a counterspell, the Archmage gains a +2 competence bonus on her dispel check. This ability costs one sixth-level spell slot.
Any input on the balance of the new arcana? Some of them are about equivalent in power to feats I've seen published in various sources, so have fairly low costs.
Prestige class: Archmage
No profession is as selective, and very few as dangerous, as the wielding of arcane magic. The most powerful casters touch the very essence of magic itself, warping it to suit their whims.
The Thirteen Kingdoms Archmage is as presented in the DMG 3.5, with the following changes:
Special: To become an archmage, in addition to the requirements in the DMG, a character must hold a position of influence in an organization that supports the study and use of arcane magic.
Highest Prestige: Archmages are well-known, highly respected, and even feared among their colleagues. When dealing with other arcane casters, an Archmage gains a bonus to her Diplomacy check equal to her class level.
Additional High Arcana: The Archmage may select any of the high arcana presented in the DMG, or one here.
Spontaneous casting (wizard only): Once per day as a standard action, the Archmage may sacrifice a prepared spell to instead cast any other spell she has prepared of lower level. The caster may add any metamagic feats she has to the spontaneous spell so long as the total level remains less than the spell sacrificed, but the casting takes a full-round action (just as a sorceror does when using metamagic). For example, the Archmage Miranda has her hands bound, so she sacrifices her prepared Chain Lightning (level 5) to cast a Stilled Fireball (total level 4) on her captors. This ability costs one sixth-level spell slot. If a higher-level spell slot is paid instead, the ability may be used correspondingly more times per day - i.e., a ninth-level slot allows four uses per day.
Spell preparation (sorceror only): Each day, the Archmage may prepare and cast spells she knows as a wizard does. Metamagic spells prepared in this way take only a standard action to cast, rather than a full-round action. The prepared spells remain in the sorceror's mind and occupy spell slots until cast or changed. This ability costs one sixth-level spell slot.
Tenacious magic: The Archmage's spells are highly resistant to dispelling. If dispel magic or similar is successfully cast on one of the caster's spells, it is suppressed for 1d4 rounds and then returns, rather than being negated. This ability costs one ninth-level spell slot.
Bonus feat: The Archmage may select any feat from the wizard bonus feat list. This ability costs a fifth-level spell slot. This ability may be taken multiple times, but costs a higher-level spell slot each time.
Metamagic device: Three times per day, the Archmage may apply one of her metamagic feats to a spell cast from a wand, staff, scroll, or any other device. This ability costs one eight-level spell slot.
Adaptive counterspell: The Archmage may counter a spell by casting any spell from the target spell's school, as long as the spell used is of greater level than the target spell. Additionally, when using dispel magic or similar as a counterspell, the Archmage gains a +2 competence bonus on her dispel check. This ability costs one sixth-level spell slot.
Any input on the balance of the new arcana? Some of them are about equivalent in power to feats I've seen published in various sources, so have fairly low costs.
