War Wizard

War Wizard

Alignment

Any

Hit Die

D6

Class Skills

The wizard’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Knowledge (Arcana, History, Nobility, Geography, Local) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Intimidate (Str/Cha), Diplomacy (Cha), Sense Motive (Wis), Perception (Wis)

Skill Points at 1st Level

(2 + Int modifier) ×4.

Skill Points at Each Additional Level

2 + Int modifier. Table: The Wizard

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the wizard.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: War Wizards are proficient with all simple weapons, and any one light or one-handed martial weapon of the character's choice (both long and short bows may simply be called Bows for this purpose). They also gain proficiency with light armor.

Spells

A wizard casts arcane spells which are drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. A wizard must choose and prepare their spells ahead of time (see below).

To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the wizard must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a wizard’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the wizard’s Intelligence modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a wizard can cast prepare a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Their base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Wizard. In addition, they receive bonus spells slots every day if they have a high Intelligence score. When a level says 0, this means that they can only cast spells of that level if they have bonus spells from a high Int. Once prepared, the War Wizard can cast any one of these spells, spending their Spell Points to power the magic.

Unlike a bard or sorcerer, a wizard may know any number of spells. They must choose and prepare their spells ahead of time by getting a good night’s sleep and spending 1 hour studying their spell book. While studying, the wizard decides which spells to prepare.

A War Wizard can cast wizard spells while in light armor without any chance of arcane spell failure chance.

Weapon Focus (Ex): A War Wizard gets a +1 to attack with their chosen martial weapon. This is the same weapon that will later awaken.

Bonus Languages

A wizard may substitute Draconic for one of the bonus languages available to the character because of her race.

Bonus Feats

At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level, a wizard gains a bonus feat. At each such opportunity, she can choose a fighter bonus feat, a metamagic feat, an item creation feat, or Spell Mastery. The wizard must still meet all prerequisites for a bonus feat, including caster level minimums.

These bonus feats are in addition to the feat that a character of any class gets from advancing levels. The wizard is not limited to the categories of item creation feats, metamagic feats, or Spell Mastery when choosing these feats.

Spellbooks

A wizard must study her spellbook each day to prepare her spells. She cannot prepare any spell not recorded in her spellbook, except for read magic, which all wizards can prepare from memory.

A wizard begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level wizard spells (except those from her prohibited school or schools, if any; see School Specialization, below) plus two 1st-level spells of your choice. For each point of Intelligence bonus the wizard has, the spellbook holds one additional 1st-level spell of your choice. At each new wizard level, she gains one new spell of any spell level or levels that she can cast (based on her new wizard level) for her spellbook. If the level indicates 0 spells but the War Wizard has a high enough Int to get bonus spells at that level, then they can still learn new spells of that level. At any time, a wizard can also add spells found in other wizards’ spellbooks to her own.

School Specialization

A school is one of eight groupings of spells, each defined by a common theme. If desired, a wizard may specialize in one school of magic (see below). Specialization allows a wizard to cast extra spells from her chosen school, but she then never learns to cast spells from some other schools.

A specialist wizard can prepare one additional spell of her specialty school per spell level each day. She also gains a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks to learn the spells of her chosen school.

The wizard must choose whether to specialize and, if she does so, choose her specialty at 1st level. At this time, she must also give up two other schools of magic (unless she chooses to specialize in divination; see below), which become her prohibited schools.

A wizard can never give up divination to fulfill this requirement.

Spells of the prohibited school or schools are not available to the wizard, and she can’t even cast such spells from scrolls or fire them from wands. She may not change either her specialization or her prohibited schools later.

The eight schools of arcane magic are abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, evocation, illusion, necromancy, and transmutation.

Spells that do not fall into any of these schools are called universal spells.

Abjuration

Spells that protect, block, or banish. An abjuration specialist is called an abjurer.

Conjuration

Spells that bring creatures or materials to the caster. A conjuration specialist is called a conjurer.

Divination

Spells that reveal information. A divination specialist is called a diviner. Unlike the other specialists, a diviner must give up only one other school.

Enchantment

Spells that imbue the recipient with some property or grant the caster power over another being. An enchantment specialist is called an enchanter.

Evocation

Spells that manipulate energy or create something from nothing. An evocation specialist is called an evoker.

Illusion

Spells that alter perception or create false images. An illusion specialist is called an illusionist.

Necromancy

Spells that manipulate, create, or destroy life or life force. A necromancy specialist is called a necromancer.

Transmutation

Spells that transform the recipient physically or change its properties in a more subtle way. A transmutation specialist is called a transmuter.

Universal

Not a school, but a category for spells that all wizards can learn. A wizard cannot select universal as a specialty school or as a prohibited school. Only a limited number of spells fall into this category.

Item Familiars

The War Wizard shares a special magical connection with their main weapon, as they grow in power it grows in intelligence and power. At 3rd level they form a special bond with their weapon and it becomes a +1 Magic weapon in the War Wizard's hands, although it would still be a mundane weapon in the hands of anyone else.

Lost Weapon

If you ever lose the chosen item (have it removed from your possession for a continuous period of more than one day per level) or if the item is destroyed, you automatically lose 200 XP per level as well as all benefits derived from possessing the linked item (plus any resources you put into the item). If you recover the item, you regain these XP. You may replace a lost or destroyed item familiar after you have advanced one level, as if you were gaining an item familiar for the first time.

Types Of Item Familiars

An item familiar must be a permanent magic item. Typically, it tends to be a magic weapon (such as a sword, axe, or bow), a rod (one that does not depend on charges for its powers), or a ring with a permanent magical power. The GM may allow for various wondrous items to be item familiars, and in such a case can adapt the following rules fairly easily.

In order to be an item familiar, a magic item must: character must be proficient with the appropriate category of weapon).    (and knows how to) use. Keep in mind that the item only needs to meet the basics of this criteria. The magic item may have functions the character cannot currently use, and once the item is linked to the character he can separate from it for short periods of time without any harm.
 * Have a price of at least 2,000 gp.
 * Be usable by the character (if it is a weapon, the
 * Have a permanent magical effect that the character can

Intelligent Items

This variant system does not depend on the item in question being intelligent, but any item familiar created eventually becomes intelligent. Item familiars normally become intelligent gradually, however, which lessens the complexity of the standard rules for intelligent items.

Bonding To An Item Familiar

When a character selects an item and chooses the Item Familiar feat, the character establishes a permanent, supernatural bond to the item familiar. This bond can be suppressed by an antimagic field or similar effect, but it cannot be dispelled.

Once the character has become bonded to the magic item, the item may gain additional powers or intelligence. The character can also begin investing abilities into the item, using the item familiar to improve his own capabilities.

Use Table: Item Familiar Abilities to determine what, if any, abilities the item familiar gains based on its owner’s character level. Table: Item Familiar Abilities

Invest Life Energy

A character of 6th level or lower may invest a portion of his life force into his item familiar, receiving bonus XP in return. These XP are actually part of the item, however, so if the item is lost or destroyed, the character loses not only the bonus but a quantity of his existing XP as well.

When a character chooses to invest his life energy into his item familiar, his current XP total and all future XP awards increase by 10%. However, if the character loses the item, he loses all bonus XP gained, plus an additional 200 XP per character level.

For example, Boredflak, a 6th-level character with 19,000 XP, chooses to invest his item familiar, a ring, with some of his life energy. He adds 1,900 XP (10% of 19,000) to his XP total, so he now has 20,900 XP. If he goes on an adventure and earns another 1,000 XP, he actually gains 1,100 XP (1,000 + 10% of 1,000), increasing his total to 22,000 XP, which makes him a 7th-level character.

If he then loses the ring, he would lose the 2,000 XP gained from the investiture (the 1,900 XP he received originally plus the bonus 100 XP he earned later), plus an additional 1,400 XP (200 XP per level), for a total loss of 3,400 XP. This loss would reduce his XP total to 18,600 and his character level to 6th.

Invest Skill Ranks

Whenever a character with an item familiar gains skill points, he may choose to put some or all of those skill points into his item familiar. He assigns the skill points normally, but notes that they now reside in the item familiar. For every 3 ranks he assigns to the item familiar, he gains a +1 bonus that he can apply to any single skill. This bonus can be applied to a skill in which he already has maximum ranks. He can apply multiple bonuses to the same skill, but he may not have more points of bonus in a skill than he has ranks.

If the character loses the item familiar, is separated from it for one day per level (see the Item Familiar feat description), or if the item familiar is destroyed, these skill points and the bonuses related to them are lost.

For example, Boredflak has just achieved 7th character level, and he takes a level of wizard. Because of his high Intelligence score, he gains 7 skill points. He assigns 1 skill point to each of the following skills: He uses an asterisk to note that 1 rank for each of six skills resides in his ring. Since that adds up to a total of 6 skill ranks in the ring, he gains two +1 bonuses he can apply to any skill. He decides to assign both bonuses (a total of +2) to his Concentration skill. Boredflak only has 1 rank in the cross-class skill Spot. If he had desired, he could have applied a single +1 bonus to that skill, but not both.
 * Concentration
 * Decipher Script*
 * Knowledge (arcana)*
 * Knowledge (dungeoneering)*
 * Knowledge (nobility and royalty)*
 * Knowledge (the planes)*
 * Spellcraft*

Invest Spell Slots

Only spellcasters may choose to use this option. A character with an item familiar may choose to invest a single spell slot in his familiar and gain a bonus spell slot in return. The single spell slot must be of the highest spell level he can cast, and the bonus spell slot is always two levels lower than the slot invested in the item. As the caster gains (or loses) levels, the spell slot invested in the item changes so that it is always of the highest spell level he can cast, and the bonus spell slot also changes accordingly, remaining two levels lower than that.

If a spellcaster does not have a spell slot two levels lower than the highest spell level he can cast (if he can cast only 0- and 1st-level spells), he cannot use this option.

As with all other investiture options, if the item familiar is lost or destroyed, so are both spell slots.

For example, as a 7th-level wizard, Boredflak can cast 4th-level spells. He chooses to invest one 4th-level spell slot in his ring. The ring gains an additional 2nd-level spell slot, which Boredflak can use as long as he has the ring in his possession. When Boredflak attains 9th level, the spell slot assigned to the ring automatically becomes a 5th-level spell slot, and the bonus slot becomes a 3rd-level spell slot instead of a 2nd-level one.

Sapience

If a character with an item familiar is at least 7th level, the item gains rudimentary sapience. It gains Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. Two of these scores (player’s or GM’s choice) are 10 and one is 12. The item familiar also gains an Ego score. This last score should not come into play very often—an item familiar is completely loyal to its master, unless its master radically changes alignment or one or the other is affected by some strange compulsion.

Senses

If a character with an item familiar is at least 7th level, the item can see and hear in a 60-foot radius as if it were a creature. It does not normally make Spot or Listen checks separately from its master, but its master gains the benefit of the Alertness feat while wielding the item.

Communication

If a character with an item familiar is at least 7th level, the item begins to communicate with the master using basic emotions or feelings. The item may try to tell the master of danger, for example, by putting forth a feeling of fear. It can only communicate in this manner while being worn or carried by its master.

Special Ability

When an item familiar’s master reaches 10th level, and at every four levels thereafter, the master chooses a new special ability for the item from the following list. Once an ability is chosen, it becomes a permanent part of the item (unless otherwise specified). Some abilities have prerequisites.

Armor, Shield, or Weapon Special Ability

An item familiar empowered with this special ability gains an ability equivalent to a +1 bonus (as found on Table: Melee Weapon Special Abilities, or Table: Ranged Weapon Special Abilities), such as the light fortification, bashing, or defending special ability. This ability contributes to the overall enhancement bonus of the item and its value but does not cost the master of the familiar any gold pieces or time. This ability may be used in conjunction with the normal rules for improving an existing magic item (see Improving an Item Familiar, and Adding New Abilities). A character may select this special ability multiple times, each time enabling his familiar to gain a different ability equivalent to a +1 bonus.

Prerequisite

The item familiar must be a type of magic armor, a magic shield, or a magic weapon.

Cantrips/Orisons

An item familiar empowered with this special ability can cast 0-level spells. The familiar may cast any spell invested in it as a standard action (or longer, as defined by the spell’s casting time) as long as the spell does not have an expensive material component or an XP component. The item familiar need not provide any verbal or somatic components, and it need not provide any material components that cost less than 1 gp. It has access to all the 0-level spells from any single class spell list of the master’s choice (taking into account any alignment restrictions against casting spells of a certain class or alignment subtype). It can cast a number of 0-level spells per day as if it were a sorcerer of the master’s character level (though the master does not have to be a spellcaster). The item familiar uses its own ability scores to determine spell save DCs but can cast its 0-level spells only on its master’s order. The master may use a free action on his turn to issue these orders, or he may give a number of contingency orders (such as “If I fall unconscious, cast cure minor wounds on me”) equal to one more than his Charisma modifier (minimum one).

Greater Power

An item familiar empowered with this special ability gains any single greater power listed on the Intelligent Item Greater Powers table. The item uses this power as described, at the master’s command. A character may select this special ability multiple times, each time applying it to a different greater power.

Prerequisite

An item must have at least one lesser power for every greater power it is given. The master must spend the amount of gold pieces given in the Base Price Modifier column of the Intelligent Item Greater Powers table to purchase the greater power. The process of empowering an item in this way takes 24 hours.

Greater Senses

An item familiar empowered with this special ability gains blindsense out to 30 feet.

Prerequisite

The item familiar must already have the improved senses special ability.

Improved Senses

An item familiar empowered with this special ability gains darkvision out to 60 feet.

Increased Sapience

An item familiar empowered with this special ability gains +4 to any single ability score and +2 to its other two scores. The item can now communicate telepathically in a recognizable language with the master out to 120 feet and can speak audibly in Common. It can speak, read, and understand one additional language per point of Intelligence bonus. A character may select this special ability multiple times, each time improving all three of the item’s ability scores and increasing the number of languages it can speak, read, and understand.

Lesser Power

An item familiar empowered with this special ability gains any single lesser power listed on the Intelligent Item Lesser Powers table. The item uses this power as described, at the master’s command. A character may select this special ability multiple times, each time applying it to a different lesser power.

Prerequisite

The master must spend the amount of gold pieces given in the Base Price Modifier column of the Intelligent Item Lesser Powers table to purchase the lesser power. The process of empowering an item in this way takes 24 hours.

Special Purpose and Dedicated Power

An item familiar empowered with this special ability gains a special purpose and a dedicated power chosen by its master (see the Intelligent Item Purpose and Special Purpose Item Dedicated Powers tables).

An item familiar usually displays more flexibility in how it carries out its special purpose than a standard intelligent item, especially if its purpose conflicts with its master. However, if a master (especially one who gave the item a special purpose in the first place) consistently acts against the item’s special purpose, the item has even more leverage for keeping the “master” in line. An item familiar can temporarily sever the link between item and master, essentially shutting down access to any abilities invested in the item plus all its normal magical abilities, as if the item had been lost or destroyed. The item only reestablishes the link if it is convinced the master is committed to helping it fulfill its special purpose.

No item familiar may have more than one special purpose and one dedicated power.

Prerequisite

The master must spend the amount of gold pieces given in the Base Price Modifier column of the Special Purpose Item Dedicated Powers table to purchase the dedicated power. The process of empowering an item in this way takes 24 hours.

Spell Use

An item familiar empowered with this ability may cast any spell invested in it as a standard action (or longer, as defined by the spell’s duration) as long as it does not have an expensive material component or an XP component. The item familiar need not provide any verbal or somatic components, and it need not provide any material components that cost less than 1 gp. The item familiar must meet the ability score prerequisites for the spell but casts the spell at the master’s level. The item familiar may cast the spell only on the master’s order (as described in Cantrips/ Orisons, above). If an item familiar casts an invested spell, it is as if the master cast it for purposes of spells per day and preparation.

Prerequisite

The item must have an invested spell slot of the appropriate spell level, and the master must have the ability to cast 3rd-level spells.

Item Familiar Alignment

An item familiar gains its master’s alignment and, if the character changes alignment, it generally changes alignment accordingly. However, if this alignment change would be in direct conflict with the item familiar’s special purpose (if any), the item does not change alignment, and it immediately severs the link between itself and its master. The link can only be reestablished when the master changes to a nonconflicting alignment.

If an item familiar changes to an alignment that would preclude it using some of its powers not tied to a special purpose, the change in alignment takes place, no severing of the link occurs, and the item cannot use those powers until its alignment becomes compatible again. For example, if a neutral good rod has the ability to cast druid cantrips and the rod becomes lawful good, it loses that ability. If a holy avenger item familiar becomes nonlawful, it loses all the abilities it had for being a holy avenger but remains a +2 cold iron longsword and retains its other item familiar abilities.

Improving An Item Familiar

An item familiar can be improved as other magic items can be. By spending gold pieces (and time and experience points, assuming the character is the one doing the work), a character can add new abilities to his item familiar. If a character links himself to a +1 longsword, for example, it only costs 6,000 gp (or 3,000 gp and 240 XP) to add another +1 of enhancement bonus or, perhaps, a special ability that is equivalent to a +1 bonus (such as spell storing or flaming). The character can accomplish this even without having the requisite item creation feats.

This type of improvement has nothing to do with the master’s character level, though it may affect the item’s eventual Ego score.