pi4t
2018-07-05, 03:46 PM
Spheres of Power has archetypes for most first party casters, but is lacking ones for the psychic spellcasters. Since the Occultist has its own weird rules for learning spells and is heavily reliant on the core spell school system, it's not obvious how it should be converted to spheres of power. I thought I'd give it a go. Feedback gratefully accepted!
Sphere Occultist
Casting: The sphere occultist may combine spheres and talents to create magical effects. The sphere occultist is considered a Mid-Caster and uses Intelligence as his casting ability modifier. Unlike most sphere casters, the sphere occultist does not get two bonus talents at first level. This replaces the spells and knacks class features.
Spell Pool: The sphere occultist gains a small reservoir of energy she can call on to create truly wondrous effects, called a spell pool. This pool contains a number of spell points equal to her level + her Intelligence modifier (minimum: 1). This pool replenishes once per day after roughly 8 hours of rest.
Implement Talents: A sphere occultist does not gain magic talents directly as he levels up. Instead, each of his implements provides its own selection of talents. At first level, each implement gives access to only one talent, but this increases by one at third level, and every three levels thereafter. Each implement can only give talents in specific spheres, as shown in the following table:
School
Spheres
Abjuration
Fate, Protection
Conjuration
Conjuration, Creation, Warp
Divination
Divination, Time
Enchantment
Mind, Nature, War
Evocation
Destruction, Light, Weather
Illusion
Dark, Illusion
Necromancy
Death, Life
Transmutation
Alteration, Enhancement, Telekinesis
An implement may also have sphere-specific drawback in return for extra talents, as usual. If the sphere occultist chooses a second implement from the same school, he can combine them together to determine his overall abilities, and does not have to duplicate talents he's already chosen. For example, if a sphere occultist has a wand implement (evocation) with the destruction sphere and the Chain Blast shape, and later chooses a staff (also evocation) as an implement, he can give the staff the Mana Siphon blast type without having to first give it the destruction sphere; and can then apply both Chain Blast and Mana Siphon to a destructive blast. If he chooses a panoply instead of an implement, he still gains the usual number of talents, which are applied to any or all of the implements in the panoply as the sphere occultist wishes. If the sphere occultist takes the Extra Magic Talent feat, or learns new talents from some other source, he must apply them to one of his implements, and obey the usual rules about which spheres he can choose from. This ability modifies the implements ability.
Item-based Casting: The sphere occultist must choose a magic tradition which includes the focussed casting and prepared casting drawbacks (or modify another tradition to add these drawbacks). He gets the usual reward of extra spell points (or a Boon) for taking these drawbacks. Rather than having one focus for all his casting, each of his implements counts as the focus for the talents it provides. If the sphere occultist is missing multiple foci for an effect he is attempting to produce, the concentration DC increases by 5 for each additional missing focus.
The sphere occultist does not assign spell points to spheres as a prepared caster usually does. Instead, he assigns his spell points to his implements. Each point may be spent in any sphere associated with the implement's school (even if the talents being used are actually coming from another implement of the same school). If he loses access to an implement, he cannot use any points stored in that implement. The sphere occultist may also choose to save generic spell points inside his own body, but these cost twice as much to use and do not give resonant focus abilities.
Mental Focus: A sphere occultist does not gain a pool of mental focus. Any of his abilities that refer to mental focus invested in an implement instead apply to spell points assigned to that implement. This ability modifies the Mental Focus ability.
Resonant Powers: The following resonant powers work differently for the sphere occultist:
Conjuration (Casting Focus): When casting spells from the Conjuration, Creation or Warp spheres, the sphere occultist adds 1 to his caster level for every 2 spell points placed in the implement (to a maximum bonus equal to his sphere occultist level), for the purposes of range and duration only. Apply this increase after other effects that increase these values, and does not apply if the sphere occultist is casting without using the implement.
Evocation (Intense Focus): When using a destructive blast, a caster (any caster) can use the implement as a focus to add 1 point of damage of the same type to every creature damaged by the blast for every 2 spell points in the implement, to a maximum of 1 + 1 per 2 sphere occultist levels. This bonus damage is capped at the minimum damage the blast could otherwise do (so a hypothetical blast that had a splash effect doing 1 damage to nearby enemies would still only do 2 to them). Blasts that do not deal hp damage do not benefit from this effect. Also, when using a light or weather sphere spell, the sphere occultist adds 1 to his caster level per 2 spell points placed in the implement, for the purposes of duration only.
Necromancy (Necromantic Focus): Whoever possesses the implement can reanimate and control an additional 2 Hit Dice of undead for every point of mental focus invested in the item (to a maximum number of Hit Dice equal to 4 × your occultist level) when using the reanimate ability of the death sphere, the animate dead spell, or similar abilities. This number is total, not per ability - you don't get twice as many because you have both the talent and the spell, for example. If, when the sphere occultist next prepares his spells, the caster has more Hit Dice of undead than he would normally be allowed, then he loses them according to the usual rules for the effect that gave him control over them. This can be avoided, however, if the sphere occultist immediately invests enough spell points in the implement to cover all the excess HD of undead.
Whoever possesses the implement also improves their abilities with the Life sphere; any hp healing they grant is increased by 1 for every 2 spell points in the implement, to a maximum of 1 + 1 per 2 sphere occultist levels. For abilities like Revitalise that give an ongoing source of healing, this instead increases the duration by 1 round for every 2 spell points in the implement, with the same maximum.
Finally, undead take a -1 penalty on saving throws against the sphere occultist's magic per 4 spell points assigned to the implement.
Recommended Casting Tradition: The classic feel of the occultist can be recreated through taking the Emotional Casting and Rigorous Concentration drawbacks, as well as the mandatory Focussed Casting and Prepared Casting drawbacks.
Multiclass Sphere Occultists: A sphere occultist who multiclasses into another spherecasting class does not receive new implements from his non-occultist levels. He does gain new talents (though not the two bonus ones normally gained at first level). He must apply these to his implements, as usual for a sphere occultist getting talents from other sources. His caster levels stack normally. A spherecaster wishing to multiclass into sphere occultist must have a tradition with the Focused Casting and Prepared Casting drawbacks. He must assign all the talents he already has to his initial two implements; if he is unable to do this because he has too wide a variety of spheres, he may not take levels in sphere occultist. He does not gain any new talents for his first level of sphere occultist; the two talents that come attached to the implement of a first level sphere occultist are the two bonus talents given by his other class. (Note that this also means both implements must have at least one talent in them). With GM permission, the character can adjust his talents and tradition to fit the requirements.
Of course, the spherecaster is also free to treat his sphere occultist casting as a separate casting tradition as per the usual rules, in which case he can multiclass freely. However, levels in sphere occultist will always progress the same tradition (the one discussed under Item-Based Casting).
Sphere Occultist
Casting: The sphere occultist may combine spheres and talents to create magical effects. The sphere occultist is considered a Mid-Caster and uses Intelligence as his casting ability modifier. Unlike most sphere casters, the sphere occultist does not get two bonus talents at first level. This replaces the spells and knacks class features.
Spell Pool: The sphere occultist gains a small reservoir of energy she can call on to create truly wondrous effects, called a spell pool. This pool contains a number of spell points equal to her level + her Intelligence modifier (minimum: 1). This pool replenishes once per day after roughly 8 hours of rest.
Implement Talents: A sphere occultist does not gain magic talents directly as he levels up. Instead, each of his implements provides its own selection of talents. At first level, each implement gives access to only one talent, but this increases by one at third level, and every three levels thereafter. Each implement can only give talents in specific spheres, as shown in the following table:
School
Spheres
Abjuration
Fate, Protection
Conjuration
Conjuration, Creation, Warp
Divination
Divination, Time
Enchantment
Mind, Nature, War
Evocation
Destruction, Light, Weather
Illusion
Dark, Illusion
Necromancy
Death, Life
Transmutation
Alteration, Enhancement, Telekinesis
An implement may also have sphere-specific drawback in return for extra talents, as usual. If the sphere occultist chooses a second implement from the same school, he can combine them together to determine his overall abilities, and does not have to duplicate talents he's already chosen. For example, if a sphere occultist has a wand implement (evocation) with the destruction sphere and the Chain Blast shape, and later chooses a staff (also evocation) as an implement, he can give the staff the Mana Siphon blast type without having to first give it the destruction sphere; and can then apply both Chain Blast and Mana Siphon to a destructive blast. If he chooses a panoply instead of an implement, he still gains the usual number of talents, which are applied to any or all of the implements in the panoply as the sphere occultist wishes. If the sphere occultist takes the Extra Magic Talent feat, or learns new talents from some other source, he must apply them to one of his implements, and obey the usual rules about which spheres he can choose from. This ability modifies the implements ability.
Item-based Casting: The sphere occultist must choose a magic tradition which includes the focussed casting and prepared casting drawbacks (or modify another tradition to add these drawbacks). He gets the usual reward of extra spell points (or a Boon) for taking these drawbacks. Rather than having one focus for all his casting, each of his implements counts as the focus for the talents it provides. If the sphere occultist is missing multiple foci for an effect he is attempting to produce, the concentration DC increases by 5 for each additional missing focus.
The sphere occultist does not assign spell points to spheres as a prepared caster usually does. Instead, he assigns his spell points to his implements. Each point may be spent in any sphere associated with the implement's school (even if the talents being used are actually coming from another implement of the same school). If he loses access to an implement, he cannot use any points stored in that implement. The sphere occultist may also choose to save generic spell points inside his own body, but these cost twice as much to use and do not give resonant focus abilities.
Mental Focus: A sphere occultist does not gain a pool of mental focus. Any of his abilities that refer to mental focus invested in an implement instead apply to spell points assigned to that implement. This ability modifies the Mental Focus ability.
Resonant Powers: The following resonant powers work differently for the sphere occultist:
Conjuration (Casting Focus): When casting spells from the Conjuration, Creation or Warp spheres, the sphere occultist adds 1 to his caster level for every 2 spell points placed in the implement (to a maximum bonus equal to his sphere occultist level), for the purposes of range and duration only. Apply this increase after other effects that increase these values, and does not apply if the sphere occultist is casting without using the implement.
Evocation (Intense Focus): When using a destructive blast, a caster (any caster) can use the implement as a focus to add 1 point of damage of the same type to every creature damaged by the blast for every 2 spell points in the implement, to a maximum of 1 + 1 per 2 sphere occultist levels. This bonus damage is capped at the minimum damage the blast could otherwise do (so a hypothetical blast that had a splash effect doing 1 damage to nearby enemies would still only do 2 to them). Blasts that do not deal hp damage do not benefit from this effect. Also, when using a light or weather sphere spell, the sphere occultist adds 1 to his caster level per 2 spell points placed in the implement, for the purposes of duration only.
Necromancy (Necromantic Focus): Whoever possesses the implement can reanimate and control an additional 2 Hit Dice of undead for every point of mental focus invested in the item (to a maximum number of Hit Dice equal to 4 × your occultist level) when using the reanimate ability of the death sphere, the animate dead spell, or similar abilities. This number is total, not per ability - you don't get twice as many because you have both the talent and the spell, for example. If, when the sphere occultist next prepares his spells, the caster has more Hit Dice of undead than he would normally be allowed, then he loses them according to the usual rules for the effect that gave him control over them. This can be avoided, however, if the sphere occultist immediately invests enough spell points in the implement to cover all the excess HD of undead.
Whoever possesses the implement also improves their abilities with the Life sphere; any hp healing they grant is increased by 1 for every 2 spell points in the implement, to a maximum of 1 + 1 per 2 sphere occultist levels. For abilities like Revitalise that give an ongoing source of healing, this instead increases the duration by 1 round for every 2 spell points in the implement, with the same maximum.
Finally, undead take a -1 penalty on saving throws against the sphere occultist's magic per 4 spell points assigned to the implement.
Recommended Casting Tradition: The classic feel of the occultist can be recreated through taking the Emotional Casting and Rigorous Concentration drawbacks, as well as the mandatory Focussed Casting and Prepared Casting drawbacks.
Multiclass Sphere Occultists: A sphere occultist who multiclasses into another spherecasting class does not receive new implements from his non-occultist levels. He does gain new talents (though not the two bonus ones normally gained at first level). He must apply these to his implements, as usual for a sphere occultist getting talents from other sources. His caster levels stack normally. A spherecaster wishing to multiclass into sphere occultist must have a tradition with the Focused Casting and Prepared Casting drawbacks. He must assign all the talents he already has to his initial two implements; if he is unable to do this because he has too wide a variety of spheres, he may not take levels in sphere occultist. He does not gain any new talents for his first level of sphere occultist; the two talents that come attached to the implement of a first level sphere occultist are the two bonus talents given by his other class. (Note that this also means both implements must have at least one talent in them). With GM permission, the character can adjust his talents and tradition to fit the requirements.
Of course, the spherecaster is also free to treat his sphere occultist casting as a separate casting tradition as per the usual rules, in which case he can multiclass freely. However, levels in sphere occultist will always progress the same tradition (the one discussed under Item-Based Casting).