The Mage (basic class)

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The Mage (basic class)

Post by CatharzGodfoot »

The Mage
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The mage is a virtuoso in the art of arcane harmonics. Her soul resounds with the pure tones of magical power, which she has learned to channel into simple offensive and defensive wards, such as the dreaded "mage hand". Her greatest powers, however, rely on using complex soul chords to strike the resonant frequencies of the multiverse. Channeling elemental forces along quivering strands of her extended soul, the mage strikes down her enemies with fire and electricity; drawing upon the natural harmonics of distant locations, the mage can look upon distant places or travel almost anywhere in the blink of an eye.

More specialized magic users sometimes criticize the mage's lack of finesse with the elemental forms. Mages maintain that taming the elements is a fool's errand, and one need only listen for the right planar essence vibrating with its wild song of creation and destruction.


Hit dice: d6.
Base attack bonus: Medium.
Saves: Good will.
Skills (4/level): Concentration, Craft, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana, engineering, history, nature, the planes), Listen, Use Magic Device.

1: Cantrips, Chain Lightning, Mage Armor, Mage Magic
2: Mage Ear, Mage Hand
3: Charm Mooks, Dispel Magic
4: Fireball
5: Greater Mage Hand, Mage Craft, Mystical Conveyance
6: Invisibility, Scrying
7: Door Trick, Shout
8: Save or Die
9: Wall of Ice
10: Acid Fog, Energy Resistance
11: Blink, Magic Mansion
12: Gate, Save or Die
13: Archmage Hand, Atmospheric Envelope
14: Mystical Keel, Transdimensional Harmonics
15: Save and Die
16: Permanent Gate, Soul Blind
17: ?
18: ?
19: ?
20: Wish

Weapon and armor proficiency: Mages are proficient with daggers and quarterstaves.

Class Features:
Cantrips (Sp): Arcane Mark, Cure Minor Wounds, Detect Magic, Light, Prestidigitation, and Read Magic, at will.

Chain Lightning [electricity] (Sp): You set up an arcane oscilation between yourself and your foes and then complete the circuit with a connection to elemental electricity. This deals 1d6 per level plus your primary attribute modifier in electricity damage to up to your class level in creatures. All of the targets must be within close range. A successful reflex save halves the damage; targets that fail the save are sickened for one minute.

Mage Armor [force] (Su): A mage can surround herself in a field of glowing force, gaining an armor bonus of 4 + 1/2 her class level (round down; this applies to touch attacks). The mage can raise or lower her Mage Armor as a free action.

Mage Magic: Your spell-like abilities can use the highest of your charisma and intelligence as their relevant ability scores. All spell-like abilites granted by this class have verbal and somatic components, and their save DCs are 10 + level/2 + relevant attribute modifier. When you use this ability, anything targeted by the spell-like ability bears your arcane mark for the duration of the effect.

Mage Ear (Su): As arcane sight, constantly in effect, but use Listen when Spot would normally be appropriate: the mage 'hears' magic more than she 'sees' it.

Mage Hand [force] (Su): You create a glowing, semi-transparent hand the same size and shape of your own, which can move up to close range. You must use one of your hands to direct the mage hand, and the hand uses your strength score. If you so command it, the mage hand will attempt to remain at a fixed point relative to your position (doing so requires no action on your part). You can only have one mage hand in existance at a time, but you can dismiss it with a move-equivalent action. If attacked, the mage hand has 5 hit points.

Charm Mooks [compulsion, mind affecting] (Sp): Creatures with at least 2 fewer hit dice than you have their atitude shifted to friendly. A successful will save negates the effect, a creature being actively threatened gains a +5 bonus, and creatures must be able to hear you to be affected. The effect ends for a creature if it goes 24 hours without hearing your voice. When the effect ends, the creature's atitude towards you shifts one level worse.

Dispel Magic (Sp): As the spell, but with no limit to caster level.

Fireball [fire] (Sp): With a full-round action you call upon an ancient pact, bringing forth an elemental airstrike. This deals 1d6 fire damage per level to everything in a 20' radius burst at long range. A successful reflex save halves the damage, but spell resistance is useless. Windstorm-level winds are created by the blast, blowing directly away from its center; the fortitude DC to resist wind effects is as normal for the mage's spell-like abilites.

Mage Hand, Greater [force] (Su): You can make your mage hand larger than life. The greater mage hand occupies a 5' square and can provide cover. Its strength is the maximum of your charisma and intelligence, it is treated as a large creature, and it appears with as many hit points as you have (maximum = your maximum HP). It has a slam attack appropriate to its size. You still need to use one hand to direct the greater mage hand.

Mage Craft: The mage can craft minor magic items, including spell effect items. If you using core 3e item creation rules, the mage gains Craft Wonderous Item and Scribe Scroll.

Mystical Conveyance (Sp): You enchant an object to fly at your direction, with a speed of 60' (good). You can't enchant an object more than one size larger than you, and an object less than one size smaller than you won't support your weight. Thrones, brooms, and rugs are common choices.

Invisibility (Sp): As the spell.

Scrying (Sp): As the spell; it takes an hour to cast, and any of the possible foci can be used.

Door Trick (Su): When the mage opens a door, she can turn it into a portal to a closet-sized pocket dimension. When the door is closed, the portal closes. Only one such portal can exist at a time; if another portal is already open then further attempts to create one fail. From within, the pocket dimension always opens to the last-used door. If the door is destroyed, it is restored when opened from within.

Shout [sonic] (Sp): You deafen and deal 1d6 sonic damage per level to all creatures in a cone of up to short range. A successful fortitude save negates the deafness and halves the damage, but spell resistance does not help.

Save or Die: Gain one of the following three abilites.
  • Petrify (Sp): The target must make a fortitude save or be turned to stone (permanent duration). On a successful save, the target is merely slowed for one round.
    Disintegrate (Sp): The target must make a fortitude save of be turned to dust, along with all its possessions (instantaneous duration). This ability can also be use to disintegrate an object or part of an object, up to a 10' wide cube.
    Polymorph Other (Sp): As the spell (see Maginomicon).
Wall of Ice (Sp): As the spell, once per minute.

Acid Fog [acid] (Sp): With a full-round action you call upon the arcane art of chemical warfare, creating a 20' tall, 20' radius spread of flesh corroding gas at medium range. Creatures in the cloud take 1d6 acid damage per every 2 of your levels, and each must make a fortitude save against poison or be nauseated for a round. Spell resistance does not apply to this power. The cloud persists one round per class level, and can be dispersed by a strong wind. The affected area is treated as a fog (see below).
  • ]Fog: Whether in the form of a low-lying cloud or a mist rising from the ground, fog obscures all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. Creatures 5 feet away have concealment (attacks by or against them have a 20% miss chance).
Energy Resistance: Your Mage Armor gains new harmonics, granting you energy resistance equal to your level angainst acid, cold, electricity, fire, force, or sonic damage. You can change the type of energy with a move-equivalent action.

Blink (Sp): You can use an immediate action to teleport to anywhere within close range that you have line of effect to.

Magic Mansion: The pocket dimension accessed by your door trick grows up to a mile in radius. You can spend a day in the pocket dimension to sculpt the terrain into whatever form you like, or an hour to move the entry location to a different doorway within the pocket dimension.

Gate (Sp): Finding the natural resonance with a distant location, you connect two gateways anywhere in the multiverse. Opening the gate takes a standard action, while keeping the connection open requires the mage's concentration. A gateway must form a physically unbroken loop or smooth reflective surface, although it can be of any shape or size. If the loop or surface is broken, the gate collapses. While the connection is open, one has line of effect and line of sight from both sides, although the view will be distorted if the two gates are of different size or shape. The chance of off-target arrival is the same as within teleport, although mishaps never occur (reroll them).

Archmage Hand: Your mage hand gains improved grab, is considered a huge creature, and can occupy up to a 10' by 10' area. With an immediate action, you can call your mage hand into existance, dismiss it, or direct it to move up to short range and make a single attack.

Atmospheric Envelope: Your mage armor is always full of fresh, clean air (or clean water, if you breath that). This allows you to breath normally underwater, in a vacuum, within a stinking cloud, and even on the plane of elemental fire. It does not, however, protect you from other environmental dangers such as extreme heat or cold, or from being strangled.

Mystical Keel: You can enchant a single mystical conveyance of up to colossal size, investing it with a mystical keel. Doing so takes an hour, and only one such conveyance can be enchanted at a time (disenchanting a conveyance also takes an hour). The mystical keel reinforces the object, preventing it from falling apart due to the forces created by flying. An object invested with a mystical keel accepts simple commands from you, and will continue to follow them without your direction. Its has poor manuverability, but has a speed of 240', can hover, and does not tire.

Transdimensional Harmonics: If you succeed at a caster level check, you can block an effect within close range from crossing planar boundries (this includes teleportation, out of or into the area) or you can allow an effect that would otherwise be blocked (for example, by dimensional anchor) to cross planar boundries as normal. This does not require an action, and you are automatically aware of any effects about to cross planar boundaries.

Save and Die (Su): As the spell forcecage. Only one forcecage can remain in existance at a time, and while the forcecage created by this ability exists, mage hand is unusable.

Permanent Gate: A gate that the mage keeps open for an hour becomes permanent, no longer reqiring the concentration of the mage to remain open. It can still be destroyed in the normal fashion.

Soul Blind (Su): The mage is constantly protected by a mind blank effect.

Wish (Sp): as the spell, at will.

Thought I had posted this already, but then I couldn't find it. It's somewhat inspired by virgil's thread.

Is it overpowered? Underpowered? Too clunky? Too simple? Are there any abilities that you love, or hate? Are there any that are strangely missing (for example, for levels 17 - 19)?
Last edited by CatharzGodfoot on Thu Nov 03, 2011 4:00 am, edited 8 times in total.
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Post by Hicks »

I would add "glyph of warding" as a scalable low level ability, and also detect thoughts or some sort of telepathy. You also lack any movement powers, unless the mage is supposed to be riding his greater mage hand. You need a teleport power; outsiders can greater teleport with their sixth level feat slot, mages need at least a dimension door.

Mages should also get an ability to make magic items, like having all spells known for the purpose of item crafting or something like that.

At tenth level or so, as a one round action give a mage the ability to form a Travel gate from any complete portal, ring, doorway or arch to another anywhere in the multiverse, and let it last for as long as they concentrate on the effect. Be sure to allow line of sight through the effect, for coolness.
Last edited by Hicks on Wed Oct 12, 2011 5:35 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by CatharzGodfoot »

Hicks wrote:I would add "glyph of warding" as a scalable low level ability, and also detect thoughts or some sort of telepathy. You also lack any movement powers, unless the mage is supposed to be riding his greater mage hand. You need a teleport power; outsiders can greater teleport with their sixth level feat slot, mages need at least a dimension door.

Mages should also get an ability to make magic items, like having all spells known for the purpose of item crafting or something like that.
Mystical Conveyance gives flight at 5th level. Riding around on a GMH is currently broken because it doesn't have a top speed and will always be within close range if you're on it.

Teleport comes in at level 11. Is that too late?

The Glyph of Warding idea is intriguing, but it seems like something that would be better as a crafted item as far as the class is concerned. I was considering moving non-combat spells to a small 'rituals' list, but was worried that doing so would make the class to complicated. If I did that then Scrying, Cantrips, and glyph of warding would definitely be on the list.

I didn't include telepathy because it seems like more of a psionic or enchanter power, but considering how many outsiders get it, it might be warranted.

As for item crafting, yes. Once there are functional item crafting rules, I'll toss that in. For now I should probably make a note that mages are allowed to craft the sorts of items you'd expect them to. This could be included with ritual rules.
Last edited by CatharzGodfoot on Wed Oct 12, 2011 5:40 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by CatharzGodfoot »

Alright, I've added in more flavor, cursory item creation, and the gate power (along with the 11th level). How does it look?
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Post by ...You Lost Me »

It's simply and effective--I like it.

I'm with your old argument about not having telepathy--personally, I'd prefer a mage without it, especially since all the mage-y telepathy things I consider when I think of telepathy can be done with mage hand.
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Post by CatharzGodfoot »

Alright. I updated it again, and removed the telepathy.

I was also thinking of adding some extra effects to the basic elemental powers at high levels: chain lightning dispels and deafens, shout frightens, etc. I'm not sure if it's really worth it, though. Even with more riders simple blasting probably won't cut it at high level.
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Post by Vebyast »

For a high-level blank spot, how about high-power weather control? It could reasonably be a wide-area save-or-lose based on a tornado, or you could just make it a ridiculously huge blasting spell for dealing with armies of mooks.

Another idea might be a combat-capable gate; let him pull in bits of the terrain from the elemental plane of fire to use in combat, for example.
Other than that, I don't really have any mechanical issues with it. Seems just a tiny bit less powerful than a standard wizard. A few of the abilities could be worded more precisely (what's the casting time on Gate? how much can a mage hand lift?), but no other complaints. Looks like it'd be fun to play if you're looking for something simple and effective.
Last edited by Vebyast on Mon Oct 17, 2011 4:27 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Dominicius »

This class has the potential for a really good 5 level NPC class, similar to the warrior.

Do you think you could write something like that up?
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Post by CatharzGodfoot »

Vebyast wrote:For a high-level blank spot, how about high-power weather control? It could reasonably be a wide-area save-or-lose based on a tornado, or you could just make it a ridiculously huge blasting spell for dealing with armies of mooks.

Another idea might be a combat-capable gate; let him pull in bits of the terrain from the elemental plane of fire to use in combat, for example.
Other than that, I don't really have any mechanical issues with it. Seems just a tiny bit less powerful than a standard wizard. A few of the abilities could be worded more precisely (what's the casting time on Gate? how much can a mage hand lift?), but no other complaints. Looks like it'd be fun to play if you're looking for something simple and effective.
Thanks!

I'm hesitant to put in weather control, as I don't want to steal more nature-oriented characters' thunder. So to speak.

Something more clearly unnatural like storm of vengeance could work, and I like the idea of pulling bits of terrain in from other planes. My first instinct is to make the planes overlap over some area, but that would be difficult to adjudicate: what happens when you merge a 1 mile radius of Earth with the Material?

The 'casting time' of gate is a standard action, and mage hand can lift as much as you can. I'll put that in.

Dominicius wrote:This class has the potential for a really good 5 level NPC class, similar to the warrior.

Do you think you could write something like that up?
It's already been done. It's called the "Adept", and while I'm not sure which Tome it's in, you can find it in the PDF. It would be totally reasonable to convert Adept levels to Mage levels if you wanted to turn a minor NPC into a PC or a powerful foe.

The Mage class isn't especially unwieldy through the first five levels either. You get three buffs (always on), three attacks, and three utility powers. The main thing I'd worry about is mages all playing exactly the same, but at least they gain the ability to craft magic items at 5th level.

Also improved BAB to medium and added primary attribute modifier to damage with Chain Lightning. They were just too awful at 1st level, and there was no good reason for bad BAB.
Last edited by CatharzGodfoot on Wed Oct 26, 2011 5:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Midnight_v »

Contingency.
Frank said
Secondly, D&D wizards iconically have a "fuck you" effect that they pull out of their ass. This could be repulsion, or wall of force, or misdirection, or stone skin, or dimension door, or any of two dozen other pieces of bullshit. The point is that iconically the first time you reach out to stab a D&D wizard you hear him laugh and you end up with your sword sticking into a log with the word "wizard" on it if you are lucky.
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Post by Zeir »

Why is Pocket Dimension in the Save or Die choices? It's a cool thing, but I would probably always choose one of the other two.
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Post by Vebyast »

CatharzGodfoot wrote:Something more clearly unnatural like storm of vengeance could work, and I like the idea of pulling bits of terrain in from other planes. My first instinct is to make the planes overlap over some area, but that would be difficult to adjudicate: what ha
The idea was that you'd literally grab chunks of planar terrain and pull them in to use as combat effects. Some examples:
[*]Grab some chlorine from a cloud in the Plane of Air and gas an entire battlefield
[*]Open a gate to the bottom of a lava ocean on the Plane of Fire and start spewing liquid rock at everything in sight
[*]Open a tiny portal to one of the deepest Deeps on the Plane of Water and cut people in half with the pressure washer from hell
[*]Run away
Basically, you get some volume or mass from another plane and can use it to your advantage in a fight.
Last edited by Vebyast on Tue Nov 01, 2011 9:03 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Hicks »

The level 8 ability Save or Die: Pocket Dimension refers to the level 11 ability Magic Mansion.

At the moment, a wizard can make but not use spell trigger magical items; wizards should be able to use arcane spell trigger magical items at first level.
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Post by CatharzGodfoot »

Vebyast wrote:
CatharzGodfoot wrote:Something more clearly unnatural like storm of vengeance could work, and I like the idea of pulling bits of terrain in from other planes. My first instinct is to make the planes overlap over some area, but that would be difficult to adjudicate: what ha
The idea was that you'd literally grab chunks of planar terrain and pull them in to use as combat effects. Some examples:
[*]Grab some chlorine from a cloud in the Plane of Air and gas an entire battlefield
[*]Open a gate to the bottom of a lava ocean on the Plane of Fire and start spewing liquid rock at everything in sight
[*]Open a tiny portal to one of the deepest Deeps on the Plane of Water and cut people in half with the pressure washer from hell
[*]Run away
Basically, you get some volume or mass from another plane and can use it to your advantage in a fight.
That trick should actually be possible with a gate at 12th level. Although an ability to make freestanding gates would certainly make the trick more useful.
Hicks wrote:The level 8 ability Save or Die: Pocket Dimension refers to the level 11 ability Magic Mansion.

At the moment, a wizard can make but not use spell trigger magical items; wizards should be able to use arcane spell trigger magical items at first level.
Dang, that should refer to Disintegrate. I'll fix it.

As for spell trigger magic items, I'm happy with the class having to use UMD.
Last edited by CatharzGodfoot on Wed Nov 02, 2011 3:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
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