Prestige Classes

SPELL SOVEREIGN

"Why cast a new spell when there's a perfectly good one right here?" -Cualok of the Seven Shrouds Deep within the clouded wastes of the Mournland, lipid remnants of arcane power form into semi-sentient beings called living spells. The strange and inexplicable process, which creates such terrifying results, stumps even the most esteemed sages of Morgrave University. Still, the mystery and power of the living spell draws the attentions of many spellcasters who would dare to dominate these rebellious magics. Calling themselves spell sovereigns, these individuals actively summon living spells and bind them into servitude. While spell sovereigns have yet to unearth the secret of creating lasting living spells, they've mastered techniques for summoning, controlling, and modifying the creatures, even going so far as to incorporate them into magic items. NPC spell sovereigns tend to work alone, imagining at every waking moment new and terrible ways of using the creatures they summon and control. The Mournland suits them well, as they favor remote locations where they can practice their art far from the suspicions and prying eyes of common folk. BECOMING A SPELL SOVEREIGN Of the arcane spellcasting classes, sorcerers, warlocks, and wizards are the most likely to gain levels in the spell sovereign prestige class. Multiclassed druids sometimes - although very rarely - become spell sovereigns as well, using the living spells they control in an attempt to mend the eternal wounds of the Mournland.

Hit Die: d4.

Requirements

To qualify to become a spell sovereign, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.

Skills: Knowledge (arcana) 8 ranks, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 4 ranks.

Feats: Improved Familiar.

Spellcasting: Ability to cast at least three conjuration (summoning) spells, one of which must be at least 3rd level.

Special: Must have had direct contact with a living spell.

Class Skills

The spell sovereign's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), and Spellcraft (Int).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Table: The Spell Sovereign

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the spell sovereign prestige class.

Spellcasting: At each level except 1st, 5th, and 9th, you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one arcane spellcasting class before becoming a spell sovereign, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.

Living Spell Familiar: You can obtain a living spell as a familiar (see the following section). Doing so requires a 24-hour ceremony that uses up magical materials that cost 500 gp. You must dismiss any other familiar you have before beginning the ceremony.

As a 1st-level spell sovereign, you may summon a living spell created from a 1st-level spell. At 4th level, you may exchange your existing familiar for a living spell created from a 2nd-level spell. You do not need to perform the ceremony again. At 7th level, you may exchange your existing familiar for a living spell created from a 3rd-level spell. At 10th level, you may exchange your existing familiar for a living spell created from a 4th-level spell. You may choose from any spell of the appropriate level that can be made into a living spell (see the template for details).

Your living spell familiar improves as you gain levels, as shown on the table below.

Create Living Spell (Sp): As a standard action, you can temporarily create a living spell using any single spell you can cast that qualifies for the living spell template. This ability expends the spell or spell slot. The living spell appears where you designate within 30 feet and acts immediately, on your turn. It attacks your opponents to the best of its ability.

You may use this ability a number of times per day equal to half your spell sovereign level. The created living spell lasts for a number of rounds equal to your spell sovereign level.

This ability otherwise functions as summon monster.

Rebuke Living Spells (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, you can rebuke, command, or bolster living spells as an evil cleric rebukes undead. For the purpose of determining the effects of your rebuke attempt your turning level equals your caster level. You may use these abilities a total number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.

Enhance Living Spell (Su): Starting at 3rd level, you project a 40-foot-radius aura that you can activate or suppress as a free action. Living spells within your aura gain a +2 bonus to Strength and a +1 insight bonus to Armor Class.

At 5th level, and at every odd level after, the radius of your aura increases by +20 feet. In addition, at 7th level the bonuses you provide increase to +4 and +2, respectively. At 9th level, they increase again to +6 and +3, respectively.

Imprison Living Spell (Sp): As a 4th-level spell sovereign, you can imprison a living spell within a gem and store its energy for later use. In order to imprison a living spell you must touch it (as a melee touch attack) with a gem worth at least 300 gp × spell level × caster level of the living spell you wish to imprison. If you succeed in touching the living spell, it must immediately make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + your caster level) or be drawn into the gem.

Once you have a living spell imprisoned within a gem, the living spell creates a number of charges equal to its Hit Dice. You may expend a charge to create a spell-like effect identical to the living spell's base spell (at minimum caster level for the spell). Once you've used up all the charges within the gem in this way, the gem crumbles to dust, destroying it and the living spell imprisoned within.

Only you may use a living spell gem you create. Once a living spell is drawn into a gem with this ability it ceases to exist as a living spell. Destroying the gem when it still has charges left simply destroys the living spell. You cannot use this ability on a living spell created through your create living spell ability.

Prolonged Creation (Su): Beginning at 6th level, your create living spell ability lasts for 1 minute per spell sovereign level.

Multiple Creations (Su): At 8th level, you gain the ability to create a living spell composed of two different spells, as a standard action. The created living spell exists for 1 round per spell sovereign level before dissipating. This ability otherwise functions exactly like the create living spell ability.

Awaken Living Spell (Sp): At 10th level, you gain the spell-like ability to awaken a living spell. This spell-like ability functions like the awaken spell, except that it affects only living spells. When you use this spell-like ability, you must make a Will save (DC 10 + the living spell's current HD).

The awakened living spell is friendly toward you, but you have no special empathy or connection with it. An awakened living spell gets 3d6 Intelligence, +1d3 Charisma, and can speak one language you know, plus one additional language you know per point of Intelligence bonus (if any).

You may use this spell-like ability once per day, but every time you do you most expend 500 XP.

LIVING SPELL FAMILIARS

A living spell familiar is a normal living spell that gains new powers when summoned to service by a spell sovereign. It retains the appearance, Hit Dice, base attack bonus, and base save bonuses of the living spell it once was. Only a normal, unmodified living spell may become a familiar. Thus, you cannot use an awakened living spell as your familiar.

Your living spell familiar also grants special abilities to you. These special abilities apply only when you and your living spell familiar are within 1 mile of each other.

Levels of different classes that are entitled to familiars (such as hexblade, sorcerer, and wizard) stack for the purpose of determining any familiar abilities that depend on your level.

Living Spell Familiar Basics: Use the basic statistics for the living spell you choose as your familiar, but make the following changes:

Hit Dice: For the purpose of effects related to number of Hit Dice, use your character level or the familiar's normal HD total, whichever is higher.

Hit Points: Your familiar has one-half your total hit points (not including temporary hit points), rounded down, regardless of its actual Hit Dice.

Attacks: Use your base attack bonus, as calculated from all your classes. Use the living spell familiar's Dexterity or Strength modifier, whichever is greater, to get its melee attack bonus with natural weapons. Damage equals that of a normal living spell of its kind.

Saving Throws: For each saving throw, use either the familiar's base save bonus or yours (as calculated from all your classes), whichever is better. The familiar uses its own ability modifiers to saves and doesn't share any of the other bonuses you might have on saves (such as from magic items or feats).

Skills: For each skill in which either you or the living spell familiar has ranks, use either the normal skill ranks for a living spell of that kind or your skill ranks, whichever is better. Regardless of a living spell familiar's total skill modifiers, some skills (such as Craft) may remain beyond its ability to use.

Feats: A living spell familiar gains one feat plus one for every 3 Hit Dice it has.

Living Spell Familiar Ability Descriptions: The abilities given on the table are cumulative.

Deflection Adjustment: The number noted here is an improvement to your living spell familiar's existing deflection bonus.

Int: Your living spell familiar's Intelligence score.

Blind-Fight (Ex): While your living spell familiar is within 5 feet, you gain the Blind-Fight feat.

Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex save for half damage, a living spell familiar takes no damage if it makes a successful save and half damage even if the save fails.

Empathic Link (Su): You have an empathic link with your living spell familiar out to a distance of 1 mile. You cannot perceive information through your living spell familiar's senses. Because of the limited nature of the link, only general emotional content can be communicated, but you have the same connection to an item or place that your familiar does.

Damage Reduction (Su): If your arcane spellcasting level is 8th or higher, your living spell familiar gains damage reduction 5/magic. This increases to 10/magic once your arcane spellcasting level is 14th or higher.

Spell Immunity (Ex): If your arcane spellcasting level is 10th or higher, you are automatically immune to the spell from which your living spell familiar formed, as the spell immunity spell.

Speak with Master (Ex): If your arcane spellcasting level is 12th or higher, you and your living spell familiar can communicate verbally as if using a common language. Other creatures do not understand the communication without magical help.

Spell Resistance (Ex): If your arcane spellcasting level is 14th or higher, your living spell familiar gains spell resistance equal to your arcane spellcasting level + 5.

Scry on Familiar (Sp): If your arcane spellcasting level is 16th or higher, you may scry on your living spell familiar (as if casting the scrying spell) once per day.