The Occultist: Remake of the Wizard

[Justdamohr]

Another remake of one of the base classes. I'm still using the Spell Point feature as I did in my last creation, the Idol, the remake of the Bard.

With the Wizard, I saw them as being more of a dangerous class, after all they aren't innately powered to wield mystical forces but rather are academically taught how to do so. Since they have this natural detachment from the power, I had always seen them risking their lives when casting spells because one never knows when a spell will backfire. So I went along that premise; that and I also saw wizards as being people who are always making items, specifically potions, scrolls, wands and staves as they would need them to compensate for their lack of spells per day. Therefore I implemented a system where one can craft such items without use of the typical feats. I think it works especially with higher spells where its near impossible to make such items as would be expected at least in my opinion. The higher a spell is, the more power is required, and therefore more strength is needed to control that power and wield in such a manner. But enough talking here are the Occultists, any mechanical critiques are welcomed.

The Occultist

Alignment: Any
Hit Die: 1d4

Class Skills:
Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge(arcana) (Int), Profession (Wis) , and Spellcraft (Int) .
Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Weapon Proficiency:
All Occultists are proficient with daggers, light crossbows, quarterstaffs, and light mace. They have no proficiency with any armor or shields as both incur penalties on their spell casting ability.

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Highest Spell Level|Scripts Known

1st|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|Preparation, Specialty School, Familiar|1|10

2nd|

+1

|

+0

|

+0

|

+3

|Craft Potion|1|12

3rd|

+1

|

+1

|

+1

|

+3

||2|14

4th|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

||2|16

5th|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

||3|18

6th|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|Scribe Scroll|3|20

7th|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

||4|22

8th|

+4

|

+2

|

+2

|

+6

|Advanced Arcane Study|4|24

9th|

+4

|

+3

|

+3

|

+6

||5|26

10th|

+5

|

+3

|

+3

|

+7

|In Depth Research|5|28

11th|

+5

|

+3

|

+3

|

+7

|Craft Wand|6|30

12th|

+6/+1

|

+4

|

+4

|

+8

|Advanced Arcane Study|6|32

13th|

+6/+1

|

+4

|

+4

|

+8

||7|34

14th|

+7/+2

|

+4

|

+4

|

+9

||7|36

15th|

+7/+2

|

+5

|

+5

|

+9

||8|38

16th|

+8/+3

|

+5

|

+5

|

+10

|Advanced Arcane Study|8|40

17th|

+8/+3

|

+5

|

+5

|

+10

|Craft Staff|9|42

18th|

+9/+4

|

+6

|

+6

|

+11

||9|44

19th|

+9/+4

|

+6

|

+6

|

+11

||9|46

20th|

+10/+5

|

+6

|

+6

|

+12

|Advanced Arcane Study|9|48

[/table]

Spells
Starting at first level all Occultists have learned a certain amount of spells called Scripts. The amount of scripts an Occultist can cast per day is equal to the amount of Arcane Points they possess. At any given level an Occultist cannot possess more than [(Level + Int. Modifier) x Wis. Modifier] + Int. Bonus Points. These points are not renewed during the course of the day but rather after a SOLID night’s rest equal to 8 hours or depending on your race 4 hours. Etc.

Intelligence Bonus Points

1-9:0
10-11:4
12-13:8
14-15:10
16-17:14
18-19:16
20-21:20
22-23:22
24-25:26
26-27:28
28-29:30
30-31:34
32-33:36
34-35:38
36-37:40
38-39:44
40-41:46
etc....

To cast a Script an Occultist must possess an Intelligence Score equal to 10 + the Spell’s Level in addition to paying a certain amount of Arcane Points.

0 Level Spells: 2 points
1st Level Spells: 6 points
2nd Level Spells: 8 points
3rd Level Spells: 12 points
4th Level Spells: 14 points
5th Level Spells: 18 points
6th Level Spells: 20 points
7th Level Spells: 24 points
8th Level Spells: 26 points
9th Level Spells: 30 points

Furthermore Casting a Script is not as simple as waving a wand and creating an effect. Since Occultist are focused on manipulating mystic energies to produce effects rather than producing them from their own energy, they risk their lives frequently whenever casting Scripts. As such whenever an Occultist Casts’ a Script, they must make a Spell Craft Check DC equal to the Caster Level + the DC of the Script. Success results in the casting of the Script. Failure by 0 equals nothing happens and the loss of the appropriate Arcane Points.

Rolling a 1 however causes the spell to BACKFIRE on the Occultist and they suffer lethal damage equal to the DC of the Script + Arcane Points expended. They can make a Will Save DC of the Spell’s DC to suffer half damage rounded down.

To help with this, for every 5 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) an Occultist gains a + 1 synergy bonus to SpellCraft.

Occultists are limited to casting an amount of Scripts depending on their level. All of the Scripts they know are within their Spellbook, and they know all the spells they add to it by heart. Whenever an Occultist gains a new level they may add an additional two scripts to their Spell book equal to the highest spell level they can cast.

Their SPELLBOOKS ARE VERY IMPORTANT and its not because the loss of them prevents Occultist from casting spells or learning new ones since their knowledge of Spells is academically ingrained into their brain, but rather they lose the ability to Prepare their spells and also suffer negatives to their Spellcraft checks with time.

For every week an Occultist is without their Spell Book, they must make an Intelligence Check equal to the DC of the Highest Level Spell they could cast when they had their Spell Book. Success maintains their knowledge of their spells. Failure results in the incurring of a - 1 on both their SpellCraft and Knowledge (Arcana). Should they regain their Spell Book, or commit days equal to the Highest Spell Level they can cast to remaking their spell book, these - 1’s are removed 1 day at a time as long as the Occultist commits hours equal to the highest spell level per day to studying their spell book.

Preparation:
At 1st level Occultists gain the ability of Preparation. For every hour they dedicate to preparing their spells, Occultist gain a + 1 to Spell Craft checks for casting spells for that day. So if they decide to commit 5 hours to preparing spells, they gain a + 5 to their Spell Casting all day long. They need ABSOLUTE QUIET AND PEACE. They cannot use this ability while in a THREATENED AREA. They must be able to be of sound mind to use this ability.

School Specialty
At 1st level, an Occultist may prohibit studying one school for the sake of improving their studies of another. The school that cannot be prohibited is Universal. By doing so, Occultists gain rerolls on Spell Craft checks when casting Scripts from their specialty school equal to their Int. Modifier Modifier per day. The reason being, Occultists are SO HEAVILY FAMILIAR with that school of magic, they are aware of when they’re about to make a mistake on casting Scripts of that school.

For instance an Occultist prohibits studying Transmutation to specialize in Necromancy. They have an Intelligence of 18 and a Wisdom of 16. That means they gain 4 rerolls each day whenever they cast scripts from the Necromancy School. They can make as many rerolls as necessary per casting up to their allotted times per day. So if they botch up the initial roll, and make another botched reroll, they can reroll again and so forth and so on.

Familiar
At 1st level an Occultist gains the Familiar Class ability like the Wizard. See page 52 of the PHB 3.5 under Sorcerer.

Crafting
At 2nd level Occultist gain the first of their Crafting Abilities, Craft Potion. Since Occultists are so reliant on magic that often drains them, they require the usage of supplements, i.e. potions, scrolls, wands and staves, all of which are made by the Occultist to be used at later times.

The way Crafting functions is as follows. An Occultist can craft an amount of items equal to their Wis. Mod. + their Int. Mod. Per week. They cannot take 10’s or 20’s on crafting the items but must roll for the appropriate check. They cannot craft items with scripts higher than the highest spell level they can cast.

To Craft an item, an Occultist must have skills in Craft (Alchemy). They gain a + 1 synergy bonus for every 5 ranks they have in Knowledge (Arcana)

Unlike other crafted magical items, Occultist do not lose experience points crafting items, however they still have to pay half the amount of gold in materials. Rather, they pay ARCANE POINTS equal to the DC of the crafted item. To determine the DC of crafting the item refer to the following information.

DC of Crafting Potions: Caster Level + Int. Modifier + Spell Level + Spell Craft Check Bonus: Limit only 1 charge of 1 spell per potion.
DC of Scribing Scrolls: Caster Level + Int. Modifier + Spell Level (Multiple Spell DC’s STACK) + Amount of Spells + Spell Craft Check Bonus: Limit only 1 charge of each spell per scroll.
DC of Wands: Caster Level + Int. Modifier + Spell Level + Amount of Charges + Spell Craft Check Bonus: Limit only 1 spell per wand
DC of Staffs: Caster Level + Int. Modifier + Spell Level (Multiple Spell DC’s STACK) + Amount of Spells + Amount of Charges per spell + Spell Craft Check Bonus

SPELL DC BONUSES
0 Level Spell = + 1
1st Level Spell = + 2
2nd Level Spell = + 4
3rd Level Spell = + 6
4th Level Spell = + 8
5th Level Spell = + 10
6th Level Spell = + 12
7th Level Spell = + 14
8th Level Spell = + 16
9th Level Spell = + 18

CHARGE DC BONUSES: (each applies only to 1 spell)
5 charges = +3
10 charges = + 5
15 charges = + 7
20 charges = + 9
25 charges = + 11
30 Charges = + 13
35 charges = + 15
40 charges = + 17
45 charges = + 19
50 charges = + 21

AMOUNT OF SPELL DC BONUSES:
1 spell = + 0
2 spells = + 2
3 spells = + 4
4 spells = + 6
5 spells = + 8
6 spells = + 10
7 spells = + 12
8 spells = + 14
9 spells = + 16
10 spells = + 18

SPELL CRAFT CHECK DC BONUSES (applies to spell craft checks when using the item)
+ 0 = 0
+ 1 = + 1
+ 2 = + 2
+ 3 = + 3
+ 4 = + 4
+ 5 = + 5
+ 6 = + 6
+ 7 = + 7
+ 8 = + 8
+ 9 = + 9
+ 10 = + 10

Success results in making the item. Failure in making the Craft (Alchemy) Check results in the loss of the ARCANE POINTS but no progress. Failure of – 5 on the Craft (Alchemy) Check ruins half the materials and forces the repurchase of them.

Unlike crafting normal items which takes weeks, Crafting Potions, Scrolls, Wands and Staves takes only hours for Occultists since they specialize only in magic. However each item that they create requires a certain amount of time to settle before being usable.

For Potions: Hours equal to the Spell Level
For Scripts: Hours equal to the Combined Spell Levels of the spells
For Wands: Days equal to the Spell Level
For Staves: Days equal to the Combined Spell Levels of the spells

The UMD DC of any of these items is equal to the Caster Level + the SPELL’s DC.

Using any of these items still requires a Spell Craft Check; however it is equal to the Caster Level + Spell DC at the time of the items creation.

These items can be sold for 2/3’rds their selling price on the open market although few Occultists actually ever sell such items. The whole purpose of making crafting these items is to lose spells one day to gain a good deal of extra spells another day.

To CRAFT any of these items requires ABSOLUTE SILENCE AND RELAXATION. They cannot CRAFT items when THREATENED. Most Occultist perform CRAFT checks before they go to sleep so that by the morning their creations (i.e. Potions and Scrolls) are ready for use.

SAMPLE CREATION:

Craft Potion:
A 4th level Occultist Wants to Craft a Potion of Feather Fall. The DC of the potion is 4 (Caster Level) + 5 (Occultist’s Int.) + 4 (2nd Level Spell) + 1 (Spell Craft Bonus) = DC of 13 Takes 2 hours to settle.

Craft Scroll:
An 8th level Occultist wants to Craft a Scroll with Invisibility and Spider Climb on it. DC is 8 (Caster Level) + 5 (Int. Mod.) + 4 (Feather Fall 2nd Level) + 6 (Invisibility 3rd Level) + 2 (Amount of Spells) + 1 (Spell Craft Bonus) = DC 26 Takes 5 hours to settle.

Craft Wand
A 13th level Occultist wants to make a Wand of Fireball. DC is 13 (Caster Level) + 5 (Int. Mod.) + 6 (Fireball 3rd Level Spell) + 7 (15 Charges) + 3 (Spell Check Bonus) = DC 34 Takes 3 days to settle.

Craft Staff
An 18th level Occultist wants to make a Staff of Teleport, Greater + Baleful Polymorph. DC is 18 (Caster Level) + 5 (Int. Mod.) + 14 (Teleport, Greater 7th level spell) + 10 (Baleful Polymorph, 5th level spell) + 2 (Amount of Spells) + 3 (Charges for Teleport, Greater) + 10 (Charges for Baleful Polymorph) + 1 (Spell Craft Bonus) = DC 49 Takes 11 days to settle.

The last craft is near impossible to achieve, it requires that you have 21 ranks in Craft (Alchemy), and 21 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) which will give you a + 4. So in total 21 (Craft Alchemy Skill Ranks) + 4 (Synergy Bonus from Knowledge (Arcana)) + 2 from an Alchemy Lab + 5 from Int. Bonus = + 31 to the roll. You would have to literally roll an 18 or better to succeed, its possible but not probable.

Scribe Scroll
At level 6, an Occultist can Craft a Scroll.

Advanced Arcane Study
By 8th level, Occultist gain their first metamagic feat; they must meet the prerequisites for each feat. These metamagic feats can be applied to all spells however doing so increases the Spell Craft Check for that Spell by 2x its required slot level increase. For instance, an Occutist wishes to cast a Maximized Fireball at 8th level. The DC originally would be 8 (Caster Level) + 18 (DC of spell) = 26, now however they intend to use Maximize on the spell which has a + 3 spell slot requirement. This translates into + 6 to the Spellcraft check 2 x 3 = 6.

The new Spellcraft DC of the spell is 8 (Caster Level) + 18 (DC of spell) + 6 (Maximize Feat) = DC 32. The Occultist now must succeed a Spellcraft DC of 32 to successfully cast the new spell.

More metamagic feats can apply to one spell, however the Bonuses stack. For instance if one wanted to cast a Silent Maximized Fireball, the bonuses would be + 2, + 6 respectfully, and the new DC to cast a Silent Maximized Fireball equals now DC 34.

Occultists gain additional Metamagic Feats at 12th, 16th and 20th level.

In Depth Research
An Occultist gains additional rerolls for spellcrafts of their specialty school equal to their Mod. Bonus. This is in addition to those gained from their Int. Mod.

Craft Wand
At 11th level, Occultist can Craft Wands.

Craft Staff
At 17th level, Occultist can Craft Staves.

[JackMage666]

OK, there is no argument here, they MUST spend money on material components and Foci. You're getting REALLY dangerous here if they don't.

Also, it's a mixture of Sorcerer and Wizard, effectively.

[Justdamohr]

OK, there is no argument here, they MUST spend money on material components and Foci. You're getting REALLY dangerous here if they don't.

Also, it's a mixture of Sorcerer and Wizard, effectively.

I never thought they shouldn't. Where does it say they Don't Spend money on material components and foci? They cast spells like a wizard the only difference is that this not a slot based class but a point based class. The only thing they don't spend is experience points on making items. So I'm a little confused.

[Gralamin]

By Level 11, Wands are near useless. They can only contain spells up to 4th level at all.

Either then that, looks good.

[Justdamohr]

By Level 11, Wands are near useless. They can only contain spells up to 4th level at all.

Either then that, looks good.

Are you sure because if I'm correct. Say an 11th level Occultist wants to make a wand of, I don't know, say okay, Antimagic Field. So we have the DC: 11 (Caster Level) + 12 (6th level spell) + 7 (15 charges) + 1 (Spell Craft Check Bonus) + 5 (Int. MOd.) = total DC 36

To make that: 14 Skill Ranks in Craft (Alchemy) + 2 Synergy Bonus From 14 Ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) + 2 from Alchemy Lab + 5 (Int. MOd)= 23 plus to 1d20. Its possible to make.

The wand would take 6 days to settle but in 6 days you have 15 charges of Antimagic Field. I think that's pretty useful, wouldn't ya say?

I mean maybe I'm missing something though, or somethings not clear in the text. Sorry if it isn't but if there is an issue please tell me so I can fix it. Thanks for looking at the class though.

[GryffonDurime]

No, you see, he's saying the problem is that wands CAN'T contain spells higher than 4th level.

The item just can't.

[Justdamohr]

No, you see, he's saying the problem is that wands CAN'T contain spells higher than 4th level.

The item just can't.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH I didn't know that. Well I suppose house rules can allow higher levels just for kicks depending on the DM or their interpretation of wands. Either way, I would think wands of 4th level spells are not so bad especially ones with Enervation could definitely be useful. Just go up to a Fighter and say bam, 1d4 levels off and what? Lolololol. But thanks for that 411. Or better yet 15 charges of GREATER, INVISIBILITY. Simply makes the mouth water. Yes!!!!!!!!!! D.

[Xeran]

I like the idea behind this, but as was already said in a normal game wands can only go so far, after which point a character should pick up a staff. Also it is kinda dangerous to have a caster who relies on skills to cast. This was already done with the Truenamer from Tome of Magic. It is fairly easy to obtain spells or magic items to raise a skill by +10 to +20, even before you hit higher levels.

[Justdamohr]

I like the idea behind this, but as was already said in a normal game wands can only go so far, after which point a character should pick up a staff. Also it is kinda dangerous to have a caster who relies on skills to cast. This was already done with the Truenamer from Tome of Magic. It is fairly easy to obtain spells or magic items to raise a skill by +10 to +20, even before you hit higher levels.

Hmm.......that can be problematic. Maybe I should input a stipulation that requires a limit to the amount of magical bonuses one can attain from a spell or magical item because my intent is to have the Arcane Points and most of the Spell Craft ability rely SOLELY on the Occultist's natural talent. I think Bonuses should only apply to DC's, because its ADDITIONAL power on top of the original. I'll have to think of that. I might simply make that only spells cast on the self by the Occultist can bolster their Skills, and for items, they must make a Spell Craft check each time to use it, to see whether or not they gain the ability.

And also hoping that even if there is a boost in the skill, the fact that their spells have been considerably reduced with the point system should help. After all a 20th level spell caster casting 9th level spells no longer is so free to simply to cast 4 meteor swarms at a whim but rather now has to think about how using up such points will effect the rest of the spell casting.

I hope to make it that using 9th level spells, or any high spell actually COSTS something. I was actually annoyed by the fact that spell casters can wield 6 or 4 9th level spells and STILL have 8th and 7th and what not. It just made sense. Hmmmmmmmm......do you have any suggestions on how I can prevent them from being able to cast spells so easily with boosts, bc, I'm really open to any suggestion.

I was thinking maybe they can't receive boosts past an amount equal to 1/2 their level equal to their Int. Mod. because after that it just may drain their body since they are now introducing an ADDITIONAL magical source onto themselves. A physical body can only withstand SOOO MUCH energy. And maybe after that I can have it that any additional BOOSTS may fatigue them.

Okay, okay, I think that might work, additional boosts fatigue the Occultist because its going beyond their mind's limit. What do you think? I mean its a rough idea but a plausible one.

[Xeran]

It does get rid of the problem. Whether it will be balanced is something that should really be playtested. I am a firm beleiver in that you can't tell whether an entire class is really balanced until you play it.

[Justdamohr]

It does get rid of the problem. Whether it will be balanced is something that should really be playtested. I am a firm beleiver in that you can't tell whether an entire class is really balanced until you play it.

I TOTALLY AGREE!!!!! Shoot. Well anyway Thanks a bunch. I think what I'm going to do is that no Skill can be magically boost past an amount equal to the corresponding Ability Score. Should it be, then the spellcaster must make a fortitude/will save (depending on whether or not its physical or mental boost) DC equal to the Boost + the ability score. Success means they suffer nothing. Failure means they are fatigued by the boost while it remains, failure by -5 means they are exhausted by the boost and this exhaustion and fatigue will correspond to different things. I.e. if its a physical attribute being amplified, then their mental attributes will be fatigued or exhausted, or if its their mental attributes being amplified then their physical attributes will be exhausted. And this will ONLY apply to magic. Like for class abilities, the character HAS to train in order to gain those boosts which is why they'd be able to handle it. Magic not so much because spellcasters are trained or are self-taught on how to create the effects but like the master and creation issue, sometimes creations turn on their creators which would play definitely into my interpretation of spell casters in D and D. But thank you again.

[Dryad]

One thing that struck me with this occultist is: Occultists never, éver, make mistakes. Because with the low HD, and the quite massive backfire, one mistake will be your last. She'll die from a simple spell. Let's see:
Magic missile is a first level spell. Cast by Grina, an occultist with an int. score of 17, at first level.
The normal DC for magic missile is: 14. Why? Ten, plus spell level, plus ability bonus. Add spell level again, for the Spellcraft DC, and you get a casting DC of 15. With her int. bonus, her spellcraft will be +7, granting her only a 55%, give or take, chance of succes. Now; she'll need concentration when facing a foe with your back to the wall, too, granting another chance of failure, and she'll have a 25%, give or take, chance of whalopping herself with twenty points of lethal damage. (Spell DC=14, Arcane Points spent=6) That means that unless she has a con score of 24+, she'll die instantly, and otherwise.. Well, just die over a longer duration. And this for a first level script.

Ouch.

I really love the idea of preparing spells not by spell slots, but by total maximum spell power. It's a very good system. Only; the way it is put, it is also a very suicidal system. You don't want to cast, because you don't want to die.
I don't think one could call this a mixture between a Wizard and a Sorcerer, because the Occultist has to prepare her spells, something a Sorcerer can simply ignore.
So on the whole: I really love the idea, but.. It isn't balanced. Yes, it's powerful enough to compete with the standard classes. But it's longevity, or lack thereof, will not make it a very durable one.

[Xeran]

True, I guess I overlooked the part where spells can backfire. Still this could be solved with feats, or with changing the backfire system. Perhaps instead of it backfiring each time you fail it by more then 5, it backfires 5% of the time. Like on a natural one on a d20. Or somethign else.
-Xeran

[Justdamohr]

True, I guess I overlooked the part where spells can backfire. Still this could be solved with feats, or with changing the backfire system. Perhaps instead of it backfiring each time you fail it by more then 5, it backfires 5% of the time. Like on a natural one on a d20. Or somethign else.
-Xeran

Actually that would be a LOT more reasonable. Okay, okay. So instead a 1 should do it. Definitely. Besides Failing to cast the spell and losing Arcane Points is bad enough. you basically lose a spell without even having the chance to cast it. Okay, okay AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll fix it tomorrow, or rather later on today cause its late, but DEF. THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Justdamohr]

One thing that struck me with this occultist is: Occultists never, éver, make mistakes. Because with the low HD, and the quite massive backfire, one mistake will be your last. She'll die from a simple spell. Let's see:
Magic missile is a first level spell. Cast by Grina, an occultist with an int. score of 17, at first level.
The normal DC for magic missile is: 14. Why? Ten, plus spell level, plus ability bonus. Add spell level again, for the Spellcraft DC, and you get a casting DC of 15. With her int. bonus, her spellcraft will be +7, granting her only a 55%, give or take, chance of succes. Now; she'll need concentration when facing a foe with your back to the wall, too, granting another chance of failure, and she'll have a 25%, give or take, chance of whalopping herself with twenty points of lethal damage. (Spell DC=14, Arcane Points spent=6) That means that unless she has a con score of 24+, she'll die instantly, and otherwise.. Well, just die over a longer duration. And this for a first level script.

Ouch.

I really love the idea of preparing spells not by spell slots, but by total maximum spell power. It's a very good system. Only; the way it is put, it is also a very suicidal system. You don't want to cast, because you don't want to die.
I don't think one could call this a mixture between a Wizard and a Sorcerer, because the Occultist has to prepare her spells, something a Sorcerer can simply ignore.
So on the whole: I really love the idea, but.. It isn't balanced. Yes, it's powerful enough to compete with the standard classes. But it's longevity, or lack thereof, will not make it a very durable one.

THANK YOU BY THE WAY for your critique. Seriously, I'm over here making sure that these Occultist aren't too strong and I completely forgot about making sure they CAN cast spells without dying. Lolol. But as the poster above suggested to do, I remedied it with a Nat 1 causing a Backfire instead of a -5 . I definitely think that's more reasonable. But THANK YOU!!!!!!!