created by sigma999 in winter 07-08
The Feycaster template simulates class abilities atop an otherwise vanilla… no, scratch that, rice-bland mistake known as Racial Hit Die/Dice.
In this case, Fey Hit Dice explicitly.
It’s All About Timing
This template may be applied at any time to any Fey being that declares with heart and soul the Fey Realms to be its true home.
No one even has to witness this happy event, it just happens.
Like, immediately.
From then on, the Fey may advance in this class, although the real requirement is to increase the number of Fey type Hit Dice.
Feycaster abilities depend on deepening the intuitive connection between the individual and the collective memories of the entire Fey racial collective.
They gain the Native subtype while in the Fey Realms and any plane coexistant with the Fey Realms
However, once the Fey Realms become the being’s homeplane, they gain the Extraplanar subtype when not anywhere near the Fey Realms.
Other than that, you’re all set. Grab your Darkleaf armor, your favorite staff, kiss your entire enclave of 127 Fey goodbye, and off you go.
Ah, adventuring.
So far away from the Court’s protection… it’s scary sometimes. Mean people, waving pointy bits of steel in your face.
Sometimes it’s good to stay warm and safe in your favorite grove, swamp, or hill, where the sky is always dusk…
…. But the other more restless Fey, well… Let’s just say this class is for them.
Equals Under The Moon
When applied to any Fey with at least one Fey racial Hit Die, all levels of “Fey” are also considered levels of “Feycaster”, and certain racial or magical class abilities are granted.
Fey Hit Dice determe the Feycaster class abilities level on a 1-per-1 basis. Any Fey in the Monster Manual effectively becomes about as powerful as a normal spontaneously spellcasting base class, such as Sorcerer.
When this template is applied to a being with a Fey race or Fey subtype, remove or alter the following racial traits before applying Feycaster abilities:
- Remove all racially granted Fey Hit Dice, if the character is level 1 and just beginning.
- Remove all Spell-like abilities.
- Remove all Level Adjustments.
- Delay Supernatural abilities until they are level-appropriate, comparing similar spell effects or names to the capabilities of a Wizard of same level.
- Delay the sum total of all Fey racial ability score adjustments, except for +2 on two separate scores any way the character chooses (out of any that originally had adjustments).
Then as the Fey gains character levels and Fey Hit Dice:
- Apply ability score adjustments as chosen on every Feycaster level at a rate of +2 racial bonus each time, but no more than the original Fey race applies to each ability score.
- Return the use of the delayed racial Supernatural abilities as they become level-appropriate, once each level, comparing similar spell effects or names to the capabilities of a Wizard of same level.
- Spell-like abilities are cast using Feycaster spells and various Fey feats.
Fey-related classes such as Enigmist, Green Knight, Faerie Noble, or Faerie Lord also count their levels as levels of Feycaster (but not Fey Hit Dice, which are worth twice as many in Feycaster) for the purpose of gaining these template abilities.
And last but not least, prestige classes that grant “+1 spellcaster level” may increase the spells per day and caster level of Feycaster as if it were any other spellcasting class. Wow. That’s a lot of spells and casting. What, 8 times in one sentence?
Fey Type: Hit Dice
Hit Dice: d6
Base Attack: Poor (1/2)
Skill Points: 6+INT
Good Saves: Reflex, Will
Low-light Vision
Simple weapon prof. and one type of weapon (swords, bows, etc)
Fey eat, sleep, and breathe. Oh, and defecate; when dried, it’s a minor source of “pixie dust”.
Unless a Fey race states as such, the Feycaster also gains a +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. This bonus does not stack with other racial bonuses of the same type, such as that similarly granted to Elf, Pixie, or Jareth the Goblin King.
FEYCASTER ADVANCEMENT
Advancement equal to number of Fey Hit Dice.
1 Living Attire, Fickle Mind, Twilight Soul, Moonskin (5/magic or iron), Spell Level 0 and 1 slots
2 Urge 0, Fluid Mind: 2+CHA to save vs. Mind
3 Spell Level 2 slots
4 Urge 1, Fluid Mind: SR level+5+CHA
5 Dream Aura 1 or Bonus Fey Feat, Spell Level 3 slots
6 Urge 2, Moonskin (level/iron)
7 Spell Level 4 slots
8 Urge 3, Twilight Soul (Reincarnation)
9 Spell Level 5 slots
10 Urge 4, Dream Aura 2 or Bonus Fey Feat
11 Spell Level 6 slots, Moonskin (level/magic and iron)
12 Urge 5, Fluid Mind: SR +10
13 Spell Level 7 slots, Slippery Mind
14 Urge 6, Twilight Soul (Resurrection)
15 Dream Aura 3, Spell Level 8 slots
16 Urge 7, Fluid Mind: immune to Mind
17 Spell Level 9 slots, Blood of Danu 1/iron
18 Urge 8, Moonskin (level/epic)
19 Blood of Danu 3/iron
20 Urge 9, Dream Aura 4, Twilight Soul (True Resurrection)
Feycaster Spells By Level
Code: Select all
[br]. 0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th[br]1st 3 1 — — — — — — — —[br]2nd 3* 2 — — — — — — — —[br]3rd 3 3 1 — — — — — — —[br]4th 3 3* 2 — — — — — — —[br]5th 3 3 3 1 — — — — — —[br]6th 3 3 3* 2 — — — — — —[br]7th 3 3 3 3 1 — — — — —[br]8th 3 3 3 3* 2 — — — — —[br]9th 3 3 3 3 3 1 — — — —[br]10th 3 3 3 3 3* 2 — — — —[br]11th 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 — — —[br]12th 3 3 3 3 3 3* 2 — — —[br]13th 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 — —[br]13th 3 3 3 3 3 3 3* 2 — —[br]15th 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 —[br]16th 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3* 2 —[br]17th 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 1[br]18th 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3* 2[br]19th 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3[br]20th 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4[br]Class Features
Spells: A Feycaster casts arcane spells which are drawn from their personal spell list. A Feycaster must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time, but once prepared the spells may be then cast spontaneously and in some cases without even expending the spell slot (see the Urge ability).
To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the Feycaster must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell’s level.
The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Feycaster’s spell is 10 + half the Feycaster’s character level + the Feycaster’s Charisma modifier.
Feycasters learn 1 spell for each rank of Spellcraft they possess. Additional spells must be gathered from other beings.
When learning spells, Feycasters may choose from any spellcasting class that uses spell slots when they encounter spells in written form, cast by another (must be identified first), or taught verbally (treat as learning from a scroll with no material component).
The maximum number of spells a Feycaster may keep in their personal spell list is equal to their Feycaster level x 5. When this limit is reached, old spells must be ‘forgotten’ to make room for the new.
This personal spell list counts as a class list for item activation, prestige class qualification, and other effects or requirements.
Certain spell types are restricted due to the nature-bound origin of Fey magic.
Feycasters are partially bound to the rules of nature and guidance of their Courts and rulers. On a deeper, less direct level, their magical ability is provided by their superiors as if the Fey Realm itself were a deity.
The following types of spells are considered forbidden and either unnatural or impossible to grant access to, and can not be learned or cast using Feycaster abilities:
- Stopping, reversing, or speeding up time with spells greater than level 3.
- Summoning or Calling Outsiders. Elementals are free of this restriction.
- Creating Undead. These beings are seen as complete reversals of the cycle of life. However, Undead Fey do exist.
- Binding or trapping souls and thereby preventing reincarnation, although bringing beings back to life is allowed.
- Antimagic Field and similar effects.
- Alignment-specific spells regarding Good and Evil.
- Changing into the form of any Outsider, Undead, or Aberration to use their supernatural or spell-like abilities (as by Polymorph or Shapechange, for example); simply taking the appearance of those types is allowed (such as with Illusion, Change Shape, or Alternate Form).
- Spells that duplicate, emulate, retain, or prepare other spells, such as Shadow Evocation, Mnemonic Enhancer, Miracle, Limited Wish, and Wish.
- No offensive spell that has both no saving throw and no attack roll.
Like other spellcasters, a Feycaster can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Their base daily spell slot allotment is identical to that of a Wizard, but no more than 3 slots at most for any single spell level.
One additional minor difference from the Wizard spell slots is that the Feycaster gains one additional spell per day of the second highest spell level they know whenever they acquire a new spell level maximum; this change is reflected in the chart after Feycaster class information.
In addition, they receive bonus spells per day if they have a high Charisma score.
Each level after a Feycaster gains a new spell level, they also gain a special ability called “Urge” that allows them to reclaim spent spell slots of specific levels.
Each occurance of Urge matches the spell level which it affects, and provides a new spell slot of that level or lower under certain conditions.
The power of Urge accumulates as the Feycaster advances in levels, eventually allowing them to cast as many spells as they desire in a day up to their second highest spell level.
Feycasters must choose and prepare spells ahead of time (to later cast spontaneously) by getting a good night’s sleep and spending 1 hour engaged in a revelry, performance, or personal obsession. While engaged in an engrossing behavior of the Feycaster’s choice (or sometimes, habit), they decide which spells to prepare for their daily selection. This hour of focus need not be performed every day, but only when the Feycaster desires to change their memorized spells.
When spells are cast, the prepared spell does not expend but the number of slots for that spell level or of a higher level slot decrease by one. In other words, the availible variety never declines but the number of spells left to cast in a single day does.
Living Attire (Su): By attuning their bodies to the natural materials of an armor for at least 24 hours, a Feycaster gains temporary proficiency in a specific suit.
If any new pieces are added after attuning, they are treated as unproficient until the same duration has passed. Shields are also affected by this ability.
A Fey wearing enchanted clothing or armor of any kind receives a +1 Deflection bonus to AC and +1 competence bonus to Charisma skill checks involving other Fey for every 5 Feycaster levels rounded down.
Attuned armor may change color, texture, and shape in minor ways as the Fey sees fit, and also refits if it would otherwise break or fall off due to size change.
Arcane spell failure, if any, is ignored for Feycaster abilities as long as the Feycaster’s encumberance is Light or less.
Once a suit or pieces of one have been removed, they become unattuned once more.
Not surprizingly, many Fey choose to go unarmored or at least sparsely so.
This ability does not work on any armor containing iron, steel, or other ferrous alloys.
Fickle Mind (Ex): Feycasters suffer an unusual difficulty of maintaining spell-like ability durations due to their inherent distractability and natural magic. This isn’t a problem normally with magic due to the self-sustaining nature of spells, and it isn’t with spells cast outside of Feycaster abilities, but since this type of magic is tied directly to each individual Fey there are repercussions to be had.
The Feycaster may maintain at most as many spell durations equal to half the total of their Spellcraft ranks + Intelligence modifier, and no more.
Maintaining spells is a subconscious act and does not require the Feycaster to concentrate, but unconscious Fey do have the problem of all spell durations ceasing at once (except for spells extended using Dream Aura).
Attempting to use any newer Feycaster spells while the Fickle Mind limit is full, even those with a duration of “permanent” or “instantaneous”, require the Fey to nullify one or more of their older duration-effects.
If no spells were canceled at any distance as a non-action, then the new spell(s) fail as if cast in a magic-dead area.
Urge (Ex): Primal forces of sentient dream well up from within all Fey, providing as much of a boon as it is a bane (see Fickle Mind). This instinct to ‘do’ allows Feycasters to replenish spent spell energy that they have poured forth earlier.
A Feycaster’s spontaneous spell slot becomes available for any spell memorized of the specified level or lower at the beginning of their next turn, but only if the following conditions are met:
- As long as the Fickle Mind spell limit has not been reached; at least one space is open, allowing the Feycaster to bring new spells into effect.
- The Feycaster is not Fatigued, Exhausted, or Unconscious.
The number associated with each occurance of Urge indicates the maximum spell level regained.
Twilight Soul (Ex): Until maturity, a Feycaster will age as their race normally does.
They use the Elf age categories once they reach maturity, and then cease to accumulate penalties and bonuses for aging after that.
This ability improves with the individual’s Feycaster levels.
However, a Fey life is still over once they reach their maximum, and they are usually reborn as a new Fey being with no prior knowledge of its previous life.
Trapping, containing, or binding the Feycaster’s soul prevents any part of the Twilight Soul ability from functioning, and generally feels really uncomfortable. Consuming a Fey soul strips it of all memories and levels, but frees it for reincarnation after a day even if such a fate would not normally allow such freedom.
Yes it’s good to be one with nature. Keeps you out of the Abyss, and all.
Reincarnation: Up to one week after the Feycaster dies they may return as if by the “Reincarnate” spell. If so, whatever was left of the original body irrevocably turns to dust. This fine powder is colliqually labeled “pixie dust”, among other things, although dead Fey are not the only source of the stuff (ground wings are too, for example).
They reform as a young member of any Fey race within any Fey Realm, and of a character level up to one level less than when they died, in any combination of Fey Hit Dice and their original class(es).
The Fey loses all memory of events that occurred 24 hours before their death, and of events between dying and returning.
Resurrection: At least 1 week after the Feycaster dies they may return as if by the “Resurrection” spell, if they had been dead no longer than 100 years per caster level, in any combination of Fey Hit Dice and their original class(es). They lose all memory of events that occurred between dying and returning. If the original body no longer exists, they return in a safe and secluded location somewhere in any Fey Realm.
True Resurrection: At least 1 week after the Feycaster dies they may return as if by the “True Resurrection” spell, if they had been dead no longer than 10,000 years, in any combination of Fey Hit Dice and their original class(es). If the original body no longer exists, they return in a safe and secluded location somewhere in any Fey Realm. And probably very, very angry.
[/b]Fluid Mind (Ex):[/b] The Feycaster mind is malleable like few other. They find loopholes in the working of hidden realities, slipping bonds where most would simply endure or suffer.
The Feycaster gains a racial bonus to saves against Mind-Affects, Charms, Compulsions, Emotion, and unwanted telepathic detection and intrusion equal to 2 + Charisma modifier.
Feycaster level 4 grants Spell Resistance equal to Feycaster level +5 + Charisma modifier.
Feycaster level 12 improves the Fluid Mind Spell Resistance by 10, and
Feycaster level 16 brings racial immunity (whenever desired) to the effects that Fluid Mind normally grants a save bonus against.
Moonskin (Ex) Slightly elastic and ever-renewing Fey flesh grants a Damage Reduction of 5, but both magical weapons or iron (and other ferrous metals such as steel) bypass it.
And also leave a nasty rash.
At level 6 they replace the set amount of DR with Damage Reduction equal to their Feycaster level, bypassed only by iron.
At level 11 the Feycaster’s flesh resists even mundane iron; only magical iron weapons may hurt them easily. Take that, rusty nail.
At level 19 the Feycaster’s Damage Reduction can only be bypassed by Epic weapons.
Dream Aura (Su): As a Swift action with a permanent yet dismissable duration, a Feycaster may emanate one of their Feycaster spells with both a range no farther than “Touch” and a duration longer than “Instantaneous” from their own body.
If the spell would affect others, it gains a radius of up to 5 feet x (Feycaster level + Charisma modifier).
Each Dream Aura radiates the unmistakable colored glow of a “Faerie Fire” spell within the emanation’s area of effect.
The Feycaster gains the ability to emanate a new Dream Aura at Feycaster levels 5, 10, 15, and 20, or a new bonus Fey feat at any of those levels instead.
Slippery Mind (Ex): Gain the Slippery Mind ability of a Rogue (see Rogue class in PHB)
End of Feycaster class
version 1, or rather... v5 of True Fey
