Character Classes

WARMAGE

Some spellcasters care for only one thing: war. They dream of steel and mighty blasts of devastating magic, the march of troops, and the unleashed destruction found on battlefields everywhere. Graduates of special arcane war colleges, those known as warmages are drilled only and utterly in the casting of spells most useful for laying down destruction, confusing an enemy, or screening an allied action. The utilitarian spells used by wizards and sorcerers have little importance to a warmage's way of thinking. What are support casters for, after all? A warmage cares only for success on the battlefield, or, in some cases, in the series of smaller campaigns favored by adventuring companies. Warmages sign up for stints with adventuring companies that require straightforward, military-style blasting magic. Warmages hone and develop their arts through action rather than study, so without prolonged use of their powers in combat they cannot reach the pinnacle of their profession. Good-aligned warmages are concerned with rebuffing the movements of warlike groups - who better to blast into smoking ruin than those who have it coming? Evil-aligned warmages feel no constraints on who might become the targets of their spells. They adventure to gain destructive power. Warmages access their magic peculiarly, at least compared to the way wizards, sorcerers, and clerics do. A warmage selects his spells from a limited pool of knowledge that rarely changes. Early in their difficult training, warmages instill deep within themselves the knowledge of all the spells they will ever need. Warmages know fewer spells than wizards and even sorcerers, but the spells they do know are enhanced. Warmages do not need to study spellbooks, but they do need to prepare their spells each day by spending time to call up the knowledge from their unconscious minds. Warmages do not specialize in schools of magic the way wizards can. In their training, warmages also learn a few mundane warlike skills. They develop proficiency with some weapons and armor, learning to use such items without incurring a risk of arcane spell failure. Because all alignments must be prepared to fight for their causes, warmages might be found among virtually any army that uses spellcasting as artillery on the battlefield. Some warmages favor Boccob (deity of magic), while others follow Wee Jas (deity of death and magic). Many warmages revere no deity at all. Warmages are chosen (or apply) to attend special arcane war colleges. Such colleges are not for the weak of spirit. The rigors of both body and mind bear little resemblance to the apprenticeship undergone by regular wizards, or the self-taught fumbling of sorcerers. Warmage colleges are more similar to boot camps sponsored by large nation-states. Throughout their training, warmages are forced to wear ponderous garments (meant to familiarize their bodies with the limitations of movement in armor) while drilling constantly with spells, most of which are too high in level to be cast by the student. This vigorous drilling instills the spells in a warmage's unconscious mind, so that as he grows in power later in life, those spells become available for his use without his needing a spellbook. After their training, warmages share a deep feeling of camaraderie with their fellow students and continue to feel a slight affection for any well-run military outfit. Most warmages are humans or half-elves. But the toughness of spirit needed to survive a term at an arcane war college can manifest itself in any of the common races. It is rare for savage humanoids to be accepted into a war college, though some of the more organized societies might set up their own war colleges for arcane spellcasters. Warmages find they have little in common with sorcerers and wizards, who learn their craft without the rigors or discipline of a warmage's apprenticeship. In fact, warmages are likely to be more comfortable with the regimented classes - those that appreciate military training - such as paladins, monks, and fighters. The warmage's spell selection is already determined. He is the ranged magical artillery that military troops rely on, or the center of a smaller adventuring company's offensive power. An adventuring company with a warmage should strongly consider including a second spellcaster, such as a bard, cleric, druid, or even a wizard, to complement the warmage's offensive focus with defensive and utilitarian abilities.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Die: d6.

Class Skills

The warmage's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge(arcana) (Int), Knowledge(history) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int).

Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) x 4.

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Table: The Warmage

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the warmage.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Warmages are proficient with all simple weapons, light armor, and light shields. At 8th level, a warmage gains proficiency with medium armor (see Armored Mage, below).

Spells: A warmage casts arcane spells (the same type of spells available to sorcerers and wizards), which are drawn from the warmage spell list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time the way a cleric or wizard must. When a warmage gains access to a new level of spells, he automatically knows all the spells for that level listed on the warmage's spell list. Essentially, his spell list is the same as his spells known list. Warmages also have the option of adding to their existing spell list through their advanced learning ability as they increase in level (see below).

To cast a spell, a warmage must have a Charisma score of 10 + the spell's level (Cha 10 for 0-level spells, Cha 11 for 1stlevel spells, and so forth). The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a warmage's spell is 10 + the spell's level + the warmage's Charisma modifier. Like other spellcasters, a warmage can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Warmage. In addition, he receives bonus spells for a high Charisma score.

Unlike a cleric or a wizard, a warmage need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his spells per day for that spell level.

Armored Mage (Ex): Normally, armor of any type interferes with an arcane spellcaster's gestures, which can cause his spells to fail (if those spells have somatic components). A warmage's limited focus and specialized training, however, allows him to avoid arcane spell failure as long as he sticks to light armor and light shields. This training does not extend to medium or heavier armors, nor to heavy shields. Nor does this ability apply to spells gained from a different spellcasting class.

At 8th level, a warmage learns to use medium armor with no chance of arcane spell failure.

Warmage Edge (Ex): A warmage is specialized in dealing damage with his spells. Whenever a warmage casts a spell that deals hit point damage, he adds his Intelligence bonus (if any) to the amount of damage dealt. For instance, if a 1st-level warmage with 17 Intelligence casts magic missile, he deals 1d4+1 points of damage normally, plus an extra 3 points of damage due to his Intelligence bonus. The bonus from the warmage edge special ability applies only to spells that he casts as a warmage, not to those he might have by virtue of levels in another class.

A single spell can never gain this extra damage more than once per casting. For instance, a fireball deals the extra damage to all creatures in the area it affects. However, if a 3rd-level warmage casts magic missile and produces two missiles, only one of them (of the warmage's choice) gains the extra damage, even if both missiles are directed at the same target. If a spell deals damage for more than 1 round, it deals this extra damage in each round.

Scrolls scribed by a warmage do not gain any benefit from warmage edge. Scrolls activated by a warmage also gain no benefit from warmage edge. The same is true for most other magic items, such as wands and potions. However, staffs activated by a warmage use not only the warmage's caster level but also gain the benefits of the warmage edge, if applicable.

Advanced Learning (Ex): At 3rd, 6th, 11th, and 16th level, a warmage can add a new spell to his list, representing the result of personal study and experimentation. The spell must be a wizard spell of the evocation school, and of a level no higher than that of the highest-level spell the warmage already knows. Once a new spell is selected, it is forever added to that warmage's spell list and can be cast just like any other spell on the warmage's list.

Sudden Empower: At 7th level, a warmage gains Sudden Empower as a bonus feat. If he already has the feat, he can choose a different metamagic feat.

Sudden Enlarge: At 10th level, a warmage gains Sudden Enlarge as a bonus feat. If he already has the feat, he can choose a different metamagic feat.

Sudden Widen: At 15th level, a warmage gains Sudden Widen as a bonus feat. If he already has the feat, he can choose a different metamagic feat.

Sudden Maximize: At 20th level, a warmage gains Sudden Maximize as a bonus feat. If he already has the feat, he can choose a different metamagic feat.

WARMAGE VARIANTS

Dead Levels

The warmage has ten dead levels, but remains unequalled in their ability to deal arcane damage. The warmage knows and can spontaneously cast virtually all of the most potent evocation spells. These are in turn augmented by bonus feats, extra damage per spell, and their ability to learn whatever new evocation spells strike their fancy. The intense specialty of warmages, however, comes at the sacrifice of a utilitarian purpose. Their dead level ability plays into their existing focus.

Evocation Sense (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a warmage can recognize the material, somatic, and verbal component of evocation spells. The warmage gains a +1 bonus on Spellcraft checks to identify an evocation spell being cast by another creature. See Spellcraft. This bonus increases by +1 at 4th, 5th, 9th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 17th, 18th, and 19th level.

Eclectic Learning

Some warmages find the limited range of their spell selection chafing. These characters yearn for the sorcerer's or wizard's utility spells, such as invisibility, dimension door, or even the humble detect magic. While you will never have as wide an access to such spells as other arcane casters, the eclectic learning alternative class feature gives you at least a taste of what your fellow arcanists already enjoy (without significantly watering down your battlefield focus).

If you take this option, choose carefully which spells to learn. Focus on spells that will remain useful as long as possible - while eagle's splendor might seem like a good choice at 6th level, by the time you can afford a good cloak of Charisma you might regret that earlier choice.

Level: 3rd, 6th, 11th, or 16th.

Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain the advanced learning class feature normally gained at a particular level. The choice you make at one level has no bearing on the choice you make at a later level - you could choose eclectic learning at 3rd and 6th level, advanced learning at 11th level, and then eclectic learning again at 16th level.

Benefit: At 3rd, 6th, 11th, or 16th level, you can choose to add a new spell to your list that would normally be outside your area of expertise. The spell must be a sorcerer/wizard spell, but it can be from any school. The spell is treated as being one level higher than normal (for example, invisibility, a 2nd-level sorcerer/wizard spell, would be treated as a 3rd-level warmage spell for you). You must be capable of casting spells of the new spell's adjusted level - for instance, you can't choose a 3rd-level sorcerer/wizard spell at 6th level, because the spell is treated as a 4th-level spell for you.