The Mage [new class/ variant]

[magic8BALL]

Caution: campaign specific arcane caster variant below! I know that it has a huge spell list, but that's becouse it's the only caster left. Please reply with this in mind.

In my world, there is only one way to arcane power. Outsiders can see the similarity that the Mage has with both Sorcerers and Wizards, but neither cast with quite the same versilitlity or spantanuity.

Ok... Keeping in mind that this is for a homebrew high powered campaign with areas of antimagic common... here it is. Oh, also, in my world, they would start getting 10th level spells at level 19, following the same pattern through epic levels. The player must come up with their own level 10+ spells. Oh, and all other spellcasting classes are axed. Druids got booted, the cleric is being overhauld, and psions manifests powers, so the mage is the only caster left. Keeping all this in mind:

Mage
{table=head]Level|Base AttackBonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th| 9th
1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Bonus Feat|2|1
2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|-|3|2|
3rd|
+1|
+1|
+1|
+3|-|3|2|1|
4th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|-|3|3|2|
5th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|Bonus Feat|4|3|2|1|
6th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5|-|4|3|3|2|
7th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5|-|4|4|3|2|1|
8th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+6|-|4|4|3|3|2|
9th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+6|-|5|4|4|3|2|1|
10th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+7|Bonus Feat|5|4|4|3|3|2|
11th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+7|-|5|5|4|4|3|2|1|
12th|
+6/+1|
+4|
+4|
+8|-|5|5|4|4|3|3|2|
13th|
+6/+1|
+4|
+4|
+8|-|5|5|5|4|4|3|2|1|
14th|
+7/+2|
+4|
+4|
+9|-|6|5|5|4|4|3|3|2|
15th|
+7/+2|
+5|
+5|
+9|Bonus Feat|6|5|5|5|4|4|3|2|1|
16th|
+8/+3|
+5|
+5|
+10|-|6|6|5|5|4|4|3|3|2|
17th|
+8/+3|
+5|
+5|
+10|-|6|6|5|5|5|4|4|3|2|1
18th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+6|
+11|-|6|6|6|5|5|4|4|3|3|2
19th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+6|
+11|-|6|6|6|5|5|5|4|4|3|2
20th|
+10/+5|
+6|
+6|
+12|Bonus Feat|7|6|6|6|5|5|4|4|3|3[/table]


[B]Game Rule Information
Mages have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Intelligence determines how powerful a spell a wizard can cast, how many she can cast, and how hard those spells are to resist (se Spells, below). A high Dexterity score is helpful, as this allows for good aim with her spells, and it provides a much needed boost to Armor Class. A good Constitution allows for concentration, and added hit points, a resource the mage is low on.
Alingment: Any
Hit Die: d4

Class Skills
The mage's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are concentration (con), craft (int), decipher script (int), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (int), profession (wis), and spellcraft (int).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (2+Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2+Int modifier.

Class Features
All of the folowing are class features of the mage.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Mages are proficient with the club, dagger, heavy crossbow, light crossbow and quaterstaff, but not any type of armour or shield.

Spells: A mage cast arcane spells drawn primarily from the sor/wiz spell list on page 192 of the PHB. A mage must choose wich spells she may cast for the day, but not wholly like a wizard (see below)
To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the mage must have an Intelligence score of at least 10 + spell level. The DC to save against a spell cast by a mage is 10 + spell level + mage's Int modifier.
A mage can only cast a certain number of spells a day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on the above table. In addition, she recieves bonus spells per day if she has a high intelligence score.

(new bit) Unlike a psion with powers, a mage may know any number of spells, as they are written in a book. She must choose wich spells she may wish to cast during the day. After a good nights rest, a mage studies her spell book, and prepares up to one spell per spell she can cast for the day. For instance, a 3rd level mage with Intelligence17 would perpare two 2nd level spells, and three each of 1st level spells and cantrips. During the day, she may cast any spell prepared any number of times, to a maximum of the daily limit. For instance, if the above mage pepared magic missile, mage armor and shield, she may cast each spell once, or magic missile twice and mage armor once, or any other combination of the three.

Bonus Languages: a mage may substitute Draconnic for one of the bonus languages available to the character becouse of race.

Bonus Feats: At 1st level, a mage gains a bonus feat. It must be a metamagic feat, an item creation feat, Spell Mastery or Obtain Familiar. The mage must still meet any prerequisites to take a feat. The mage gains another bonus feat at 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter (10th, 15th 20th).

Spellbooks: A mage must study her spellbook each day to perpare her spells. She cannot pepare any spell not recorded in her spellbook, except for read magic.
A mage begins play with 15 cantrips in her spell book, plus one 1st level spell per point of inteligence modifier (minimum 2). At each level a mage adds one spell of to her spellbook for every spell level she can cast. A 5th level mage, for instance, would add one each of 0, 1st, 2nd and 3rd level spells when she levels up. In addition, if a mage gains the ability to cast a new level of spells, she may add one additional spell of that level to her spellbook. So the same mage leveling up form 6th to 7th level would add one each of 0, 1st, 2nd and 3rd level spells and two 4th level spells to her spellbook.

Spell List: A mage's study allows her to unlock many misteries. In game terms, this means that a mage may add any spell in the PBH to her spellbook. This hould be monitered by the DM. Allow all sor/wiz spells. Spells like the cure and, summon natures ally spells, call lightning and the like should also be allowed, as they are either needed by a party, or are in line with the power level of a sor/wis spell. Other spells not on the sor/wiz list may need to be increased a level or more , or not allowed if they seem to be not in line with what a mage does (dispel evil should be a level 6 spell, while commune for instance would be left out). Your character may even create their own spell, or find a tomb with spells long forgotten. If you are looking to play a mage, go through your spellbook with your DM everytime you level up.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The mage has such variety in spells, due to it's "cast everything" spell list, becouse everything else is psionics or a incarnam/invocation blend. The mage needs to be able to step up to the role of healing, blasting and summoning. Elemental forces are the focus of the campaign, but the mage also has nature type spells (and a druid more like the wizards of gaul an britan than the core D&D shape shifting monstorsity may be available as a PrC) and a healing capacity. The mage was designed to be a catch all caster. How did it turn out?

[Jack_of_Spades]

Seems to powerful even if it's the only caster. I think a Wiz should have to choose between Healing spells and Evocation spells. It doesn't seem right for a wizard to cast cure light wounds AND fireball.

[Roderick_BR]

You beat me to it. I was working on a very similar class, a "one caster type only" thing, even the familiar as a feat only idea.
You can use these ideas I was going to add:
* Spell list: Use only the wizard and cleric list. You could allow paladins, druids, and bards to cast spells, as diferent casters. Maybe just paladin and bards.
* Cleric spells: to even things a bit, everytime you have a spell both on cleric and wizard, get one available at a later level.
* Armor casting: I believe this is obvious and already in your rules. Cleric spells are now arcane spells, so armor affects it.
* Casting: This is a special rule I prepared. You can cast in two ways:
1) Preparation:
The wizard prepares his spells in the morning. He chooses what spells he want to cast, and which ones will receive metamagic feats. He casts them as normal.
2) Expontaneous:
- The wizard can leave "blank" slots, to cast any available spells he has memorized (using a table similar to a sorcerer's kown spells), or direcly from his spell book (allowing to cast more varied spells).
Casting this way is always takes a minimum time of full action casting. Everyday that he rests and have an available spellbook, he can change the memorized spells.
Metamagic rules applies normally for espontaneous casting.
This way the Mage can play both as a Wizard type or a Sorcerer type. He can carry a spell book, prepare ahead of time, or rely only on his memorized spells.
Since he can be played as a Sorcerer with more spells, without gaining spells at a later level, I added the aditional casting time.

Edit: I forgot, I was also trying to make more abilities to make the mage a more MAD kind of char, so it wouldn't be so powerful. One of the things I thought was a resistance bonus based on Wisdom, applied to spells only.

@Jack_of_Spades: If a mage need to choose the type of spells, and choose only healing ones, he'll be weaker than a cleric.
This is, I believe, a spell caster kind of class for worlds that doesn't have a wizard/cleric separation. See the game Diablo, for example. Their mage can cast healing spells.

[Yakk]

Needs more texture. As it stands, two mages of equal level are ... too similar.

How about Specialization. Lose three "schools" of magic, gain 1 spell/battle per spell circle from your specialty. +1 DC on saves, +1 caster level on effects within your specialty.

Special: Cleric domains can be picked as specialty schools, but they cannot be barred. Granted powers are gained as a bonus.

These spells/battle refresh 10 minutes after the spell effect is gone. If cast on a minutes/level spell, spells/battle spells have indefinite duration. Spells that grant healing, or temporary HP, or create matter without maintenence (ie, wall of iron) may not be used this way.

...

Add in some mad, because if you are the only caster, you should use all the mental stats:
Cha: spell resists
Int: spells known per day
Wis: spells cast per day

...

Here is a way to make metamagic useful at lower levels. Overcasting.

A Mage may overcast any spell that takes 1 full round or less to cast. Overcasting consists of taking longer to cast the spell.

2 full rounds: +1 DC, 1 free level of metamagic, +1 effective caster level, +1 to hit.
3 full rounds: +2 DC, 2 free levels of metamagic, +2 effective caster level, +2 to hit.
5 full rounds: +3 DC, 3 free levels of metamagic, +3 effective caster level, +3 to hit.
10 full rounds (1 minute): +4 DC, 4 free levels of metamagic, +4 effective caster level, +4 to hit.

This is an efficiency boost to low-level casters and a slight power boost. It also encourages casters to have protectors so they don't get interrupted.

Lastly, it makes some of the "grainy" spells that increase in power every 2 or 4 levels smoother. If you are 1 level short of a new scorching ray, you can burn 2 rounds to get the additional ray.

By higher levels, when casters are already powerful enough, this change has little impact. It allows higher level spells to be metamagiced at the cost of time, but metamagic cheese rods already did that.

[magic8BALL]

By only caster... I meant only caster.

Bards lose spellcasting, becoming an NPC class, rangers and paladins become non-casters, as complete warrior.

There will still be psions (primary blaster) and a class im still working on that uses a hybid of a warlock and an incarnate (primary buffer). This will leave the mage as a healer with buff and blast if needed.


Roderick: I like your way of casting... but with mine you dont need to leave blanks: it's like a sorcerer choosing wich spells he knows for the day. Perhaps I will add the option to leave spaces blank, so a mage can cast from his book. I like that idea, but It will need to take extra time. (like 1 or 2 more full rounds, plus 1 full round to find the spell)

Yakk: I love the Over casting. It's so getting pulled off here and stuck into my list of new rules!

Just wanna clear somthing up: by 2 full rounds, thats means I start casting now... and by the end of my next turn the spell effect starts taking place, yes?

Thanks for the input!