Prestige Classes

EXALTED ARCANIST

Tales say that sorcerers gain their innate magical ability from draconic blood, and many sorcerers (especially kobold sorcerers) loudly champion this legend. Aasimar sorcerers, meanwhile, smile to themselves, knowing that dragons are not the only source of spontaneous arcane power. Among both sorcerers and bards, some trace the source of their power back to celestial influence, either bloodline or simply favor. These are the exalted arcanists, spontaneous spellcasters who gain access to spells that channel celestial energy. Only characters who spontaneously cast arcane spells can become exalted arcanists, which means that in most campaigns the class is limited to sorcerers and bards. Exalted arcanists are very often adventurers, using the power they consider a gift to the purpose for which it was intended: to help combat evil. They gravitate to places where their ability to cover a battlefield with holy smite spells is useful, so they are rarely found in cities or placid villages. They frequently join forces with other exalted adventurers, much less frequently with other exalted arcanists.

Hit Die: d4.

Requirements

To qualify to become an exalted arcanist, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.

Alignment: Any good.

Base Save Bonuses: Will +5.

Skills: Knowledge (arcana) 9 ranks, Knowledge (religion) 4 ranks.

Feats: Consecrate Spell, Purify Spell.

Spells: Able to spontaneously cast 3rd-level arcane spells.

Class Skills

The exalted arcanist's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Knowledge (arcana, religion) (Int), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Table: The Exalted Arcanist

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the exalted arcanist prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Exalted arcanists gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Exalted Spell List: An exalted arcanist gains access to spells that do not normally appear on arcane spellcasters’ spell lists. The exalted arcanist’s spell list additions appear below. At 1st level, an exalted arcanist adds the spells of up to 3rd level to her spell list, and each additional exalted arcanist level grants her access to two more spell levels on the spell list. She does not automatically know these spells, but can choose them as spells known.

Spell Knowledge (Ex): At 1st level, an exalted arcanist learns two new arcane spells of any level up to the maximum spell level she can cast. These can be spells from her normal spell list or from the exalted spell list that appears below. She does not gain any extra spell slots at this level.

Faster Consecrate (Ex): At 2nd level, an exalted arcanist can spontaneously cast spells with the Consecrate Spell feat without extending the spell's casting time.

Spells per Day/Spells Known: At each exalted arcanist level after the first, the character gains new spells per day and spells known as if she had also gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class to which she belonged before adding the prestige class level. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (bardic music abilities, improved familiar abilities, and so on), though she does retain the ability to exchange spells known with every even-numbered equivalent sorcerer or bard level. If the character had more than one arcane spellcasting class before becoming an exalted arcanist, she must decide to which class she adds each exalted arcanist level for the purpose of determining spells per day and spells known.

Bonus Exalted Feat: At 3rd level, and again at 5th level, an exalted arcanist gains a bonus feat. This feat must be chosen from the exalted feats that appear in Chapter 4 of the Book of Exalted Deeds.

Faster Purify (Ex): At 4th level, an exalted arcanist can spontaneously cast spells with the Purify Spell feat without extending the spell's casting time.

Sanctified Spells: A 5th-level exalted arcanist can use sanctified spells as though they were among her spells known.

Exalted Arcanist Spell List

Exalted arcanists choose their spells from the following list or from their normal spell list:

1st Level: bless, vision of heaven*

2nd Level: consecrate, zone of truth

3rd Level: helping hand, searing light

4th Level: holy smite, lesser aspect of the deity*, lesser planar ally, sword of conscience*

5th Level: crown of flame*, hallow, heavenly lightning*, mark of justice

6th Level: aspect of the deity*, bolt of glory*, planar ally

7th Level: heavenly lightning storm*, holy word, righteous smite*

8th Level: greater planar ally, holy aura

9th Level: greater aspect of the deity*

*New spell described in Chapter 6 of the Book of Exalted Deeds.