So, I've always hated the full casters in D&D and Pathfinder. They are far too powerful if you don't run enough encounters per day to run them out.

I'm a big Teen Titans fan and, minus the near constant telekinetics, I wanted the new caster class that I'm going to replace the sorcerer and wizard with to remind me of her. So here it is: the True Mage.

Edit - Here is the more complete version of the class. I just hadn't posted it because I didn't think I was going to get any bites here.

The True Mage

The true mage is a master of magic. Rather than drawing power in a single way for every situation, the true mage has a variety of tricks, tactics and styles for a variety of encounters.
 
BAB:       Cleric
Fort:       Poor
Ref:      Poor
Will:      Good
Hit Points:      d8

Skills per Level:   4+Int
Class Skill List:    Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Fly (Dex), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha)

Weapons and Armor

The true mage is proficient with all martial weapons, but not with shields or armor.
 
True Mage Spell Casting

The True Mage's primary casting stat is Charisma.

She gains additional spells per day for having a high Charisma.

The True Mage gains spells known according to the following spells known chart. She knows additional spells according to her Intelligence bonus. She may cast them spontaneously, without preparing them.

At each level, she may trade one spell known out for another of the same level.
 
Level      Spells per Level 0/1/2/3[/b]
1      4/1   
2      5/1   
3      5/1/1
4      6/2/1
5      6/2/1/1
6      6/2/2/1

Level      Spells Known
1      4/2
2      5/3   
3      6/3/1   
4      6/4/2
5      7/4/2/1
6      7/5/3/2
 
Ritual Meditation

True Mages can cast many more spells than their spells per day chart would normally allow. For an hour per day, per level, a true mage can meditate in order to invoke any spell they know.

The mage must choose what spell they are preparing at the beginning of their meditation. After spending 10 minutes per spell level, the mage can cast the spell.

By spending additional time in meditation, the mage can apply the effects of a metamagic feat she possesses. Each time the mage doubles the time she has spent in meditation, the effective spell slot increases by 1.

For example, a mage prepares to assault a castle with a fireball spell by meditating for thirty minutes. Instead of casting the spell, or remaining in idle meditation to keep the spell loaded so to speak (which would count against the amount of time she can remain in meditation) she begins to Empower it. Empower increases the spell level by 2, so she must double the time spent once, and then double it again. After two hours in meditation (total) the Empowered spell is ready.

Ritual meditation can also be used to cast spells that are unknown to the sorcerer by reading them directly from a spell book. This process takes twice as long as normal. The sorcerer must make a Spellcraft check, DC 15 + 2*Spell Level to determine the exact nature of the spell. GMs are therefore encouraged to make up new spells for the sorcerer with unexpected properties.

Class Abilities

The true mage looses access to all of the arcane powers if she takes a level of another class. These powers require constant and rigorous devotion. Applying herself to another trade would weaken them.

Level   Ability

Level 1:    Arcane Blast 1d6, Arcane Ability, Eschew Materials
Level 2:    Bonus Feat, Arcane Combat +5
Level 3:    Transcendent Meditation, Arcane Blast 2d6, Arcane Ability
Level 4:    Bonus Feat, Arcane Levitation, Arcane Combat +6
Level 5:    Arcane Shield, Arcane Blast 3d6, Arcane Ability
Level 6:    Bonus Feat, Arcane Combat +7

Arcane Blast

The True Mage is capable of launching a blast of pure cosmic power. This attack is a ranged touch which adds Dexterity to strike, but Charisma to damage.

At first level, this attack deals 1d6 damage. It improves by 1d6 at 3rd and 5th level.

The Arcane Blast has a critical hit range of 20 (x2) and a range increment of 30’.

Archery feats can improve this attack, though feats taken with this power in mind can’t be applied to conventional weapons.

Arcane Blast draws an AoO if used while threatened.

Should this power’s damage dice be more than doubled by any means, the true mage must make a Fortitude save DC 15 or become Nauseated for 1d4 rounds whenever it is used.

Arcane Ability

The sorcerer gains a special arcane ability at levels 1, 3 and 5. The ability is selected from the catalog below.

Eschew Materials

The true mage may cast spells she knows without their material component, provided that component is cheap and easy to find.

Arcane Combat

The mage is able to defend in combat by creating a series of temporary force fields. Invoking this power is a swift action, but once invoked can be continued with minimal concentration.

This power provides a +5 bonus to armor class, and gains an additional +1 at 4th and 6th level.

This power adds to the mage’s touch AC

This power interferes with armor based magic, such as Mage Armor, making it impossible to use both at once.

Transcendent Meditation

Once per day, by spending an hour in meditation, the sorcerer gains a Willpower save, DC 20, to expel all negative status effects and restore all lost levels and ability score points (not lost to their own magic).

If the mage fails this saving throw, the duration of those effects is reset, as if they were just cast. If the mage wants to attempt the meditation again, the DC is 1 higher and the amount of time required in meditation doubles.

If the mage is forced to perform the Transcendent Meditation twice in a 7 day period for the same effect (such as being drained by the same kind of undead) the amount of time required in meditation doubles.

Bonus Feat

At levels 2, 4 and 6, the mage gains a bonus feat. This feat must either be an item creation feat, meta-magic feat, or fighter feat.

Arcane Levitation

The mage gains a fly speed of 40’. While flying, she gains a +2 bonus to AC and Reflex saves.

To begin flying, the mage must spend a standard action.

Arcane Shield

When the true mage goes into full defense, she can create a powerful force field.

The force field grants a DR of 15 / - Energy Resistance 15 to all those within its 5’ radius.

Once created, the Arcane Shield only lasts until the true mage’s next turn. If any attack strikes the shield for more than 15 points of damage, it is instantly dispelled.

The true mage retains the +4 AC normally granted to those in Full Defense.

Those inside the shield suffer a 50% miss chance when attacking anyone beyond its boarder.

Arcane Abilities

Arcane Martial Arts

The true mage learns to tie her ability to channel and summon arcane energy into her unarmed fighting. While she has not performed the body hardening exercises of the monk or the rigorous competition of the fighter, she is able to make her strikes extremely dangerous by cloaking them in a wreath of magical energy.

The true mage gains the feat, “Improved Unarmed Strike” and the ability to deal 1d8 points of lethal damage per hit. While using Arcane Martial Arts, the true mage adds Charisma to damage.

While holding a melee weapon, the true mage naturally energizes it with her energy. The weapon adds Charisma to damage instead of Strength. When wielding the weapon in two hands, she may add Charisma * 1.5 to the weapon’s damage.

Arcane Martial Arts – Elemental
Prerequisite: Arcane Martial Arts

The true mage has learned to tie powerful elemental energy into her martial arts techniques. When this ability is selected, the martial artist must select fire, electricity or cold as her elemental type. All of her hand to hand and melee attacks gain that type.

 This energy flies like ribbons off of her hands and feet, simultaneously extending their reach while making them much more dangerous.

Add +1 Strike and AC
Add 1d6 Damage to all Melee Strikes
Increase Reach by 5’

Calling Darkness

The sorcerer can cast “Darkness” as if it were a zero level spell she knows.

Demonic Form

The true mage has a dark side which can rear its ugly head in a fit or primal rage. By allowing her dark side to show through (as a swift action), she gains the following modifiers:

Strike (Arcane Blast / Arcane Martial Arts)         -2
Damage  (Arcane Blast / Arcane Martial Arts)      +1d6
Intimidate                  +5
Fortitude Save               +2
Will Save                  -2

Anyone that can see her must make a Will save, DC 16 or become Shaken.

Elemental Arcane Strike

The true mage’s arcane strike deals an additional 1d6 damage. All of its damage is considered to be of a particular element.

This ability can be taken more than once, though its bonuses do not stack. The mage can simply make the attack another element.

The true mage can choose to perform her arcane blast without this power, gaining neither the elemental type nor the extra damage.

Empower Weapon

As a standard action, the true mage can enchant a weapon. For 24 hours, that weapon touched by the mage gains a +1 Enhancement bonus. If the weapon is already magical, the +1 can be used to purchase a +1 equivalent ability. At 5th level, this bonus becomes +2.

The true mage need not wield this weapon herself.

Fascinate

The true mage can use her performance to cause one or more creatures to become fascinated with her. Each creature to be fascinated must be within 90 feet, able to see and hear her, and capable of paying attention to her. The true mage must also be able to see the creatures affected. The distraction of nearby combat or other dangers prevents the ability from working. For every three levels a true mage has attained beyond 1st, he can target one additional creature with this ability.

Each creature within range receives a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the true mage’s level + her Cha modifier) to negate the effect. If a creature’s saving throw succeeds, the true mage cannot attempt to fascinate that creature again for 24 hours. If its saving throw fails, the creature sits quietly and observes the performance for as long as the she continues to maintain it. While fascinated, a target takes a –4 penalty on skill checks made as reactions, such as Perception checks. Any potential threat to the target allows the target to make a new saving throw against the effect. Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a weapon at the target, automatically breaks the effect.

Fascinate is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability. Fascinate relies on audible and visual components in order to function.

Faint

The true mage can induce a fainting spell in a target by making eye contact from within 30’. The subject of her eye contact must make a Willpower saving throw of DC 10 + ½ the True Mage’s Level + Cha. The victim of this power can be awoken by a character in direct contact spending a standard action.

This power can only be used effectively on characters with fewer hit dice than the true mage. Those with equal or greater hit dice gain a +10 bonus to their saving throw.

Those who make their saving throw against this power become immune for 24 hours.

Greater Arcane Blast

The true mage’s Arcane Blast gains a range increment of 60’ and deals x3 damage on a critical hit.

Invocation of Inner Light

The true mage is able to draw upon the light at the core of her being to empower her Arcane Blast.

As a standard action, she can make a single powerful attack that can overcome supernatural evil.

The use of this power requires the true mage to make a Will save, DC 15. If successful, she deals an extra 2d6 damage and ignores all Spell Resistance / Energy Resistance, should it apply.

Should her Will save be failed, she can either make a single standard blast or delay her attack until next round. If she waits until next round, she gains a +4 to the Will save.

Master of Energy

The true mage gains a +5 bonus on saving throws against energy draining type effects. Should the true mage succeed on this saving throw, her would be attacker suffers 1d6 damage.

A true mage with this power gains a +5 on her will save when using the power, “Invocation of Inner Light.”

The Master of Energy can’t be changed into the undead by any means. She is immune to zombie plague, mummy rot, and vampirism.

Otherworldly Charm

The enchantress gains an additional +5 bonus to her Diplomacy skill.

When using the Diplomacy skill, the enchantress can improve a creature’s attitude by more than two steps.

When rolling Diplomacy, she may roll twice and take the higher result.

This power is not effective against characters with mind protecting enchantments. This power does not allow the Diplomacy skill to work in situations where it is ordinarily prohibited, such as combat.

Shadow Magic
Prerequisite: Calling Darkness

While in a place dark enough to produce Concealment (including magically created darkness), the true mage gains the following abilities:

Damage Bonus: Add 1d6 Damage to Arcane Blast and Arcane Martial Arts
Saving Throw Bonus: Add +1 on all Saving Throws
Stealth Bonus: +3
Shadow Bend: The ability to manipulate shadows as if they were a physical substance gives the mage a permanent at will ability to cast Prestidigitation, Unseen Servant and Spectral Hand.

Stunning Performance

As a standard action, the sorcerer may use her charm to grab the attention of a single target within 10’.

The target must make a Willpower save, DC 10 + ½ Performer’s level + CHA. Failure indicates the target is Stunned.

The true mage can keep the target stunned by spending her move action each round to distract him. Should the target be attacked (slapped or shaken), the performance stopped, or the performer moved more than 10’ away, the effect is broken.

Any target that makes the saving throw will gain immunity to this power for 24 hours.

The true mage can only perform the Stunning Performance on one person at a time.

Teen Titans are cool...


Anyway, some nitpicking.

*while you've said you don't like the core wizard/sorceror as too powerful - this actually looks substantially stronger at least than the 3.5 version, despite needing higher ability scores to actually cast 1st level spells ?

Limitation that you lose all arcane abilities for multiclassing is rather harsh - it's going against the point of 3.5 having a multiclass system in the first place. It penalizes the True Mage/Class X, but not the Class X/True Mage, so its not entirely reliable for keeping degenerate multiclass combinations at bay
A couple of the arcane abilities (martial arts ones) start trespassing into monk territory and would probably be better as feats or whatnot for the multiclass 'True Mage'/monk.

Arcane Combat -problems with stacking with mage armour can be fixed by giving this a typed bonus (armour).

Transcendental Meditation: maybe use the original effect DC for the saving throw, rather than base 20.

Arcane Blast: looks similar to Eldritch Blast, though adding +Cha to damage. No mention of whether spell resistance stops this (I'd assume so? - but depends on whether its a spell-like ability or supernatural ability, which isn't defined. Damage dice 'doubling' causing nauseation is perhaps a little weird given the most likely source of extra damage is sneak attack (hitting someone in a vital spot nauseates the caster?) rather than any sort of extra power being used, though might make sense for Mortalbane on something.

Arcane Flight: Flight at 1st level as a class feature looks overpowered to me: again I'm not familiar with Pathfinder but in standard 3.5 this requires either a race choice (Raptoran) or a couple of feats (Dragon Wings) with significant limitations, or a magic item worth 55,000 GP (wings of flying), though in 3.0 it wasn't so bad (wings of flying were only 5500 GP).

Meditation as a mechanic for extra spells may lead to extra mid-day rest stops which may be irksome to other party members.

I changed some of this already, but just hadn't posted the update here.

Odd you think the class is too strong. People on the paizo forum think it is so weak it's unplayable, even the newer stronger version.

I know it can step on the monk, but that is kind of the point: it is a kind of monk.

It's late so I'll just say I'll make a better post later. Thanks for the input.

The double damage dice thing is to keep players from taking invocation of inner strength plus two other boosting powers, or taking more boosts for it in my e6 game post sixth level.

On power balance, maybe I'm just behind the times. I knew Pathfinder classes were stronger than 3.5 classes, but (apart from reading the core book a long time ago) am hazy on details. Going by 3.5 it looked like all the good stuff from wizard + eldritch blast + extra abilities but I guess it depends on what else is out there now.

Interesting. I've always kinda thought higher-level casters get insane powerful as well, so I'm trying a new tactic. They have to have a spell book to cast spells, and they can only know spells that are written in it - so unless they find scrolls or pay some big bucks in town they may still have a large number of casts per day, but a fairly limited selection. And if they lose their book... well, there are always the 0-Level spells I give them for free I guess.

Quote from: Bloody Stupid Johnson;468674On power balance, maybe I'm just behind the times. I knew Pathfinder classes were stronger than 3.5 classes, but (apart from reading the core book a long time ago) am hazy on details. Going by 3.5 it looked like all the good stuff from wizard + eldritch blast + extra abilities but I guess it depends on what else is out there now.

Well, I'm of the mind that the the only edition of D&D where the first level wizard was fair was 1st edition. In all editions, the wizard gets stronger faster than anyone else, but it was closer to being fair.

A fighter could kill 4 orcs.

The wizard could cast sleep, once, and beat 4 orcs.

Now, fighters in Pathfinder are 50-75% more powerful than that, but a first level sorcerer can do sleep 4 times. The ability to spam that attack makes them unbelievably strong. The only way to control them is to scare them into thinking there will be some kind of random, black swan super enemy random drop that they need to hold spells for, or two run LOTS of fights every 24 hours. If you don't, if you only have one or two fights, each round the sorcerer casts sleep she has done about 2-4 times the damage the fighter did that round. Over 4 rounds, that adds up.

And on top of all that, in Pathfinder it is virtually impossible to interrupt a spell by attacking the caster. The combat rules protect them and even if you hit them exactly at the moment you need to, they get an easy roll to keep the spell.

The revamped version of the class I'm about to put up never lets the sorcerer / wizard cast more than 2 spells of any level per day, while letting it have additional spells out of combat or when preparing for combat by meditating. Then, after its two or three spells, when it novas in the one or two combats I personally tend to run per session, it still has some (while not quite as good as other characters) abilities to fight with its normal powers.

Quote from: Werekoala;468685Interesting. I've always kinda thought higher-level casters get insane powerful as well, so I'm trying a new tactic. They have to have a spell book to cast spells, and they can only know spells that are written in it - so unless they find scrolls or pay some big bucks in town they may still have a large number of casts per day, but a fairly limited selection. And if they lose their book... well, there are always the 0-Level spells I give them for free I guess.

Yeah, I've always thought full casters, from 3.0 on, were way to powerful. The funny thing is that everyone has a different idea on what the problem is. No matter your GMing style, a good wizard player can find a way to abuse the system.

For me, its the fact that they can cast so many damn spells per day when I almost never run dungeon crawls. I don't have games of attrition on a regular basis, so the class gets to nova all the time.

Edit - So the class above is a very weak caster class for a couple reasons. One, it has less than half the spells per day a sorcerer gets, not counting the ritual meditation which can be used out of combat. Two, the class needs Charisma, Dex and Con, and benefits from Int, so you will be hard pressed to get your stats up high enough to really be abusive. If you get your CHA up to 20 just to make your sleep spell / hold person better, nothing will stop you, but you only get that twice a day and you are ignoring everything else you could do.

Raven - Level 6 True Mage for E6 Pathfinder

STR 12
DEX 16
CON 12
INT 12
WIS 14
CHA 16

HP 45
AC 21 10 + Dex (+2) + Arcane Combat +7 + Flight (+2)

Base Attack Bonus +4
Melee Attack +5
Range Attack +7

Fortitude Save +3
Reflex Save +5 (+7 While Flying)
Will Save +9 (+14 for Invoking Inner Light)

Feats

Precise Shot (Arcane Blast)
Point Blank Shot (Arcane Blast)
Rapid Shot (Arcane Blast)
Deadly Aim (Arcane Blast)
Far Shot (Arcane Blast)
Weapon Focus (Arcane Blast)
Iron Will

Arcane Abilities

Post level 6 Feat - Invocation of Inner Light
Master of Energy
Demonic Form
Shadow Magic

Spells per Day 6 / 3 / 3 / 2

Spells Known

First Level

Alarm
Hold Portal
Shield
Detect Charm
Vanish
Unseen Servant

Second Level

Darkness
Scare
Knock

Third Level

Black Light
Force Push

I had a fight with the girl statted out above against my 4th level PC group (with guns and x3 wealth). She beat the tar out of them, throwing two out of a 5th story window using spells (the first could fly, who caught the second). After all that, she made her escape with 2/3 of her HP left, and she didn't resort to her Arcane Blast the whole fight.

Pretty nasty for a CR 5 fight. Just goes to show you how nasty wizards are, even with half their spells per day taken away.

Interesting... not using your Arcane Blast makes virtually all of the feats picked redundant. I'm not sure Raven II here is that optimized as far as ability scores either - Wis and Str could probably be dumped some more...
A standard Warlock wouldn't be able to benefit from Rapid Shot (as an SLA its normally a standard action, not equivalent to an attack), though I don't know if there are pathfinder classes that break that.

On the other hand, NPCs do usually only last an encounter - not the whole day - so that may minimize the disadvantage of the lower spells known for the True Mage. The Force Push + 2nd story window trick may be a one-off significant situational advantage, too.

Well, it is easy to win with a wizard if the people fighting it refuse to back off. She had her defense spells up, blacklight, shield, she used Scare with the total darkness to get one guy to run out a window.

Still, everything she did was in the realm of a normal wizard and if I just made a specialist wizard, I wouldn't have had to back her off when I did, could have kept going. Scare, Scare, Scare, Scare...

Plus, she didn't have any magic items, while the party is wondering around with a lot of stuff.

Good times though. I do like the class a lot. I'd just like to write up one or two variations that grant something else instead of the arcane blast.

Quote from: Werekoala;468685Interesting. I've always kinda thought higher-level casters get insane powerful as well, so I'm trying a new tactic. They have to have a spell book to cast spells, and they can only know spells that are written in it - so unless they find scrolls or pay some big bucks in town they may still have a large number of casts per day, but a fairly limited selection. And if they lose their book... well, there are always the 0-Level spells I give them for free I guess.

Technically, isn't that how Wizards are supposed to work anyway? That was part of the point of sorcerers, no hunting for spells.

Of course, none of my groups ever actually followed that rule, but I thought even in 3e this was actually how Wizards were supposed to get their spells.

Quote from: J Arcane;468921Technically, isn't that how Wizards are supposed to work anyway? That was part of the point of sorcerers, no hunting for spells.

Of course, none of my groups ever actually followed that rule, but I thought even in 3e this was actually how Wizards were supposed to get their spells.

Not sure, because we've never done it this way before either. No better time than the present to start.

So I posted the flying - shooting - forcefield slinging shitty wizard.

I'd like another class or two that are variations on what's been done, but without the flying / shooting / forcefield slinging. Basically, something more old man / thinking as wizards go.

What I don't want is to just up the spells per day. I like the 1-3 per level per day. I just want people to be able to play the slow, weak, old, traditional wizard that seems good at magic.

What sort of class abilities could we trade Arcane Blast, Arcane Combat, Arcane Levitation and Arcane Shield out for?