Maransreth's RPG Pages

Mage

Disciplines
Disciplines are the starting point of a caster’s magical training. The basics of all disciplines are taught during the apprenticeship. All disciplines once activates last for a 24 hour period. If the caster wishes to choose new disciplines the next day at an earlier time, all active disciplines must be cancelled, then the new discpline rituals can be commenced.
Disciplines do not count towards the number of spells that a caster can have active at any one time. All disciplines count as spell-like abilities for the purposes of anti-magic and dispelling.
Armour: After the mage performs a one minute ritual, he is then protected by an invisible, tangible force effect that surrounds the body. The armour provides a +3 armour bonus to AC, has no arcane spell failure, armour check penalty and no speed reduction. As the armour is made by force, incorporeal creatures do not bypass this armour, like normal armour. The armour bonus increases as the mage increases in levels –
1st – 5th            +3
6th – 10th          +5
11th – 15th        +7
16th – 20th        +9

Attack: This discipline can be used to launch a blast of magical energy at an opponent. A one minute ritual must be performed to activate the attack discipline. The attack manifests as a bolt that is treated like a ranged touch attack. The magical energy is similar in size to an arrow or crossbow bolt and has a range of 90 ft. The amount of damage it deals depends upon the caster’s level. The caster can use this discipline as often as they wish within the day that the ritual was cast. The Weapon Focus feat can be applied to the attack. When the caster’s level is sufficient to cause more damage, the number of opponents who can be targeted by the attack also increases by one. When a mage targets more than one opponent, all attacks after the first suffer a -5 penalty to hit the target.
Level                Damage           Opponents affected
1st – 5th             1d6                  1
6th – 10th            3d6                 2
11th – 15th          5d6                 3
16th – 20th          7d6                 4

Energy Attack: Instead of a normal attack, the caster can launch a bolt of magical energy. A one minute ritual must be performed, during which time the caster decides what energy type (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic) will be applied to the ranged touch attack. Once the energy type is chosen, it cannot change for that day. The attack is a bolt (arrow-sized) of energy that is treated like a ranged touch attack, with a range of 90 ft. This energy is summoned (or conjured), and thus Spell Resistance does not apply. The amount of damage dealt, depends upon the caster’s level. When the caster’s level is sufficient to cause more damage, the number of opponents who can be targeted by the attack also increases by one. When a mage targets more than one opponent, all attacks after the first suffer a -5 penalty to hit the target.
Level                Damage           Opponents affected
1st – 5th             1d4                  1
6th – 10th            3d4                  2
11th – 15th          5d4                  3
16th – 20th          7d4                  4

Energy Resistance: This discipline can be used in one of two ways, which must be announced each day. The first effect is to gain protection from one energy (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic) for the entire day period, or to gain protection from one energy for 10 minutes/caster level. Either effect will only come into effect after a one minute ritual activating the desired effect. The mage can will the protection to end before the effect expires if they so choose. One hour after the end of the protection effect, the mage can draw upon this discpline again if so desired, choosing which energy is resisted. The amount of energy resisted is the same.
1st – 5th            10
6th – 10th          20
11th – 15th        30
16th – 20th        40

Lingering Attack: This discipline allows the caster to attack as a melee touch attack that deals energy damage and possibly also debilitates the opponent in some way. Each day chosen the caster must perform a one minute ritual to activiate the discpline and during this time select what energy type is chosen (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic). When used the caster uses a melee touch attack to harm their opponent, dealing energy damage as indicated in the table below. The caster also attempts a special ability to harm the opponent as well. The ability depends upon the energy type chosen. The Saving Throw the opponent must save against is 10 + 1/2 the caster’s level + Intelligence modifier. If an opponent saves against the ability, it cannot be harmed by that effect within a 24 hour period from the caster. Weapon Focus and Weapon Finesse are both able to be applied to this discipline.
Level                Damage           Effect Duration
1st – 5th             1d4                  1 round
6th – 10th            3d4                  1d6 rounds
11th – 15th          5d4                  1d10 rounds
16th – 20th          7d4                  2d8 rounds

Energy             Ability
Acid                 Blinded
Cold                 Slowed
Electricity         Dazed
Fire                  Shaken
Sonic               Deafened

Magical Senses: This discipline allows the caster to use magical energy to enhance their own senses. A one minute ritual must be performed to activate this discipline, which has a two-fold effect. First, the caster has magical sight as according to the table below for a 24 hour period following the ritual. Second a number of other abilities become available that can be used once per level per day, i.e. a 1st level caster can choose one ability for that 24 hour period, a 5th level caster can choose any ability up to five times in that 24 hour period. As the caster progresses in power, the secondary abilities change, but the caster can choose a lower level ability if they wish.
1st – 5th            detect magic and read magic               detect undead, detect thoughts, see invisibility
6th – 10th          arcane sight                                         clairaudience/clairvoyance, identify
11th – 15th        arcane sight, greater                            true seeing, analyze dweomer
16th – 20th        arcane sight, greater                            discern location, moment of prescience

Magical buffing This discipline allows the caster to enhance their abilities. A one minute ritual must be performed and the ability scores are selected during this ritual. At higher levels the caster has more options when performing the ritual as to what effects occur.
Level                Bonus         Max bonus to one ability score
1st – 5th             +4              +4
6th – 10th            +8              +4
11th – 15th          +12             +8
16th – 20th          +16             +8
The lowest bonus the caster can give is +2. Thus at 3rd level a caster can either give himself a +4 bonus, or two +2 bonuses. From 6th level the caster can give bonuses to others, as well as himself. For example a 9th level caster can give a +4 bonus to himself, and two +2 bonuses to other party members.

Familiar This discipline allows the caster to summon a spirit to act as a guide and conduit. A one minute ritual must be performed to activate this discipline. The familiar’s shape must be chosen from the Animal type during the ritual. The familiar is incorporeal, cannot attack and cannot sustain damage. It has a movement of Fly 40 ft. (perfect), even if the familiar’s shape is a legged creature, it appears to walk, but in reality flies.
The familiar communicates telepathically to the caster. As such it can scout and relay back to the caster what it sees and hears. It is knowledgeable about certain subjects (as determined by the caster during the ritual), use the table below for the number of subjects plus the bonus to each topic. The other main advantage to having a familiar is that it increases the caster’s level by one for all spell variables. For example a 7th level caster casting wall of fire has a range of 180 ft., and an area of either 180 ft. long or a ring with a radius of 20 ft., and lasts Concentration + 8 rounds.
Level                Knowledge topics           Ability
1st – 5th             2 (+6)                             Cast spells through familiar
6th – 10th            4 (+10)                           See and hear what familiar sees
11th – 15th          6 (+14)                           Spell Resistance 10 + caster level
16th – 20th          8 (+18)                           1/day summon 1d6 Large elementals

Spell Level Alteration: At 5th level a mage learns how to alter spell levels. Lower level spell slots can be used to cast a higher level spell, while a higher level spell slot can be converted to lower level spell slots. Cantrips count as ½ level. For example 2 cantrips and 2 1st level spell slots can be used to power a 3rd level spell. A 5th level spell slot can be converted to 1 3rd level spell and 2 1st level spells.

Spelll Mastery Feat: At 10th level a mage learns the Spell Mastery feat for free.

Draw upon Ambient Magic: At 15th level a mage can draw ambient magic from around them to power their spells. To sense if there is enough ambient magic to power the spell, a mage must succeed on a Spellcraft DC 20 + spell level which takes one full round. To accumulate the ambient magic takes another full round action and the mage succeeding on a Concentration check DC 20 + spell level. It is only in the 3rd round that the mage can cast the spell. If at any point the mage fails their attempt, they are stunned for 1 round.
Successfully drawing upon the ambient magic around a mage has a downside to it though. By taking the magic found around the point they currently stand, drains the life from the land. Because of this greenbonds do not look favourably upon mages who practice this often. The land is drained for 1 month per spell level in a 1 foot radius/spell level from the mage. More importantly for the mage, drawing upon the ambient magic around them makes all healing on their person not work for a number of rounds equal to the spell level cast.