Master Scribe Prestige Class

[trav_laney]

I created this prestige class for a spellcaster who wants to get more out of his Scribe Scroll feat. I wanted to make it more of a hobby instead of a career change, so I made it a five-level class.

I'm concerned about balance and playability, though, so I wanted to toss it up here for everyone to critique.

Prestige Class: Master Scribe

The Master Scribe is a character who devotes himself to the practice and study of scribing scrolls. While any spellcaster would find it useful to learn how to scribe scrolls, the Master Scribe goes beyond the basics and embraces the art, blending paper, ink, and magic into a beautiful and perfect whole.

Master Scribes are renowned for their ability to do the amazing (or impossible) with only a quill and parchment. Even outside of the realms of magic, they are artists who possess a keen eye for detail and a love of writing. When not scribing scrolls, they often sketch beautiful drawings, compose music, or write poetry. Master Scribes may be of any spellcasting class, although wizards are most common. Truly, the only requirements for becoming a Master Scribe are the ability to create magical scrolls, and the desire to do it better than anyone else.

Prerequisites
The following are the prerequisites for the Master Scribe Prestige Class:
Skills: Craft (calligraphy) or Profession (scribe) (5 ranks), Spellcraft (5 ranks)
Feat: Scribe Scroll
Special: The character must personally scribe at least 10 magical scrolls within a single month.

Class Skills
The Class Skills (and the key ability for each) of the Master Scribe Prestige Class are Craft (calligraphy) (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Profession (scribe) (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Points per level: 2 + Intelligence modifier

Hit Dice: d4

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: The Master Scribe gains no new weapon, armor, or shield proficiencies by acquiring this prestige class.

Spells per Day: When a new Master Scribe level is gained, the character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in a spellcasting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class. If a character had more than one spellcasting class before adding this prestige class, he must choose which class to add his Master Scribe class levels to for the purposes of determining spells per day.

Scroll Mastery (Ex): Master Scribes are competent spellcasters, but their skills with scrolls are unmatched by even the most educated sages. The character gains a competence bonus equal to his Master Scribe level (maximum +5) to all skill checks involving magical scrolls.

Read Magic (Ex): Through years of practice and study, Master Scribes become completely familiar with the magical alphabet and its symbols. At 1st level, the Master Scribe may translate magical text as if under the effects of a permanent read magic spell, except that this is an extraordinary (non-magical) ability.

Shorthand (Ex): By 2nd level, the Master Scribe has invented a new alphabet and learned special techniques which allow him to reduce the time needed to create scrolls. When the Master Scribe creates a scroll, the time required is reduced to 1 day, regardless of the scroll's cost. Other costs associated with the task, such as gold and XP costs, are calculated normally.

Quick Reader (Ex): Master Scribes read more quickly than other characters, and can evoke magic from scrolls even while preoccupied with other tasks. At 3rd level, the Master Scribe no longer provokes attacks of opportunity when using scrolls.

Braille (Ex): Writing leaves subtle impressions and residues on a parchment’s surface when ink is applied. Those who spend great amounts of time handling parchments eventually learn to “read” the text merely by tracing the ink patterns with their fingertips. Beginning at 4th level, Master Scribes may read scrolls when blinded or in absolute darkness, using only their fingers to translate the writing. Reading a scroll in this manner is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, but is otherwise without penalty.

Paper Soul (Ex): At 5th level, the Master Scribe has perfected his art. By combining ancient spell-weaving secrets with personal scribing techniques only he would know and recognize, the Master Scribe is able to boost the power of his own scrolls. The Master Scribe gains a +1 bonus to the save DC (if any) of any scroll that he uses, provided that he scribed the scroll himself.

Table: The Master Scribe
Lv..BAT...Fort...Ref...Will...Special..........................Spells per Day
1...+0....+0.....+0....+2.....Scroll Mastery +1, Read Magic.....+1 level of existing class
2...+0....+0.....+0....+3.....Scroll Mastery +2, Shorthand......+1 level of existing class
3...+1....+1.....+1....+3.....Scroll Mastery +3, Quick Reader...+1 level of existing class
4...+1....+1.....+1....+4.....Scroll Mastery +4, Braille........+1 level of existing class
5...+2....+1.....+1....+4.....Scroll Mastery +5, Paper Soul.....+1 level of existing class

 

[smootrk]

I haven't gone over every little detail, but I like concept well enough.

I wonder if you could revise the class slightly so that non-casters could use the class? Basically, a regular class or NPC class could take the PRC to add magical ability to an otherwise un-magical class.

For instance, take a regular Expert (but could be Aristocrat, or even Commoner, Rogue, etc), who works as a Scribe, document expert, forger, etc. This character takes the Master Scribe class and now gains the ability to use scrolls even though they are not actual casters. At first level of the class - perhaps they could gain the use of the Adept's spell list, or a very small spell list tailor made focused on written/text effects. The real forte of the class is the ability to use 'any' scroll.

Anyway, just a few expansionist ideas for your concept. I like it regardless; I just see more there that can be explored.

 

[Aries_Omega]

Nice

I like the prestige class. Great concept. I may snag it and playtest it sometime.

 

[Ltheb Silverfrond]

Nice class. Looks like a legitimatly useful class. I also agree with smootrk, this could also make for a generic class too. Like for those non-spellcasters, (Who take this class with alternate prerequisites) taking this class could give 5 levels of wizard spellcasting, (But no other benifits like familiars, bonus feats, etc) to represent the bits of magical knowledge picked up over the years of study.

A 10-level version could also be interesting, assuming one could invent 5 more levels of abilities.
In short, very nice class. I will definitely snag this.

 

[Terath Ninir]

Cool class. It's one of the few prestige classes I've seen that I'd take all the levels of. And it's a wizard-themed prestige class that I'd actually put a wizard into! Very nice.


The idea of opening it up to non-spellcasters (expert scribes) is interesting. It wouldn't be particularly powerful, but it could be an interesting addition to a campaign. Especially if the wizards thought that they were the only wizard-spell-casters around.

 

[Brother Richard]

Looks Great

This is a great class! If you would like to tweak it a little bit. There is a similar prestige class in Dragonmarked.

 

[Sigurd]

nitpicks

I like the class but I think you need a feat for others to use its scrolls.

Shorthand (Ex) would be useless if other people couldn't read it. - perhaps it needs a feat to discover the usage?

Braille would be better as a supernatural ability as I just don't believe that two writers leave similar scratchings enough to be read, especially by the time you include sigils and the weirdnesses of magic script. Perhaps a Master scribe's familiarity with magic inks allows him to sense their meanings without looking. -- Further I'd limit this ability to spells the master scribe was familiar with.

I like Paper Soul but the name makes me think the character is weaker not stronger.

**

Perhaps the scroll master might get the ability to shrink item their familiar into a scroll for safe keeping?


Sigurd

Its a class I'd certainly use.

 

[xmanii]

Very nice PrC.

 

[Nifft]

So you could get in after 2nd level? Is that intentional?

-- N

 

[trav_laney]

So you could get in after 2nd level? Is that intentional?

Um...yes. Is that bad?

Like I said before, I wanted this class to be more of a spellcaster's hobby, rather than a whole career change. Bards, clerics, druids, wizards, and sorcerers could qualify for this class easily at 2nd level. Other spellcasting classes, like assassins and rangers, wouldn't have to completely rebuild their character sheet just to boost their scroll power.

I could always raise the skill requirement, or require a Spell Focus (any) feat, or require a certain spell level...but is it really necessary? If I make the requirements any higher, only wizards will take this class. I'm already worried about that, in fact...any other spellcaster would balk at the low Hit Dice, BAT, and Fort/Ref saves.

Ideas?