Lysander
2009-08-07, 05:26 PM
Some arcane casters never progress past 0 level spells. Complex weaves of magic are beyond their ken, they simply lack the intellectual fortitude or willpower necessary. Despite this they can achieve great power simply by doing those weak spells VERY VERY VERY well, by learning to perform their gestures and incantations ever more swiftly and expertly. Just like a physical handicap, their magical limit ends up strengthening their arcane ability in other ways to compensate.
HD: d6
Spells
Unlike other arcane classes a Cantrip Mage bases their spellcasting off Dexterity. Level 0 spell slots per day is equal to their (Dex)x(Cantrip Mage Caster Level)/2. At higher levels they can cast a huge number of cantrips a day, but usually combine them into fewer but stronger spells. Cantrip Mages are spontaneous spellcasters and do not need spellbooks.
Cantrip Mages can initially only cast Level 0 spells from the sor/wiz spell list. A Cantrip Mage starts at level 1 knowing how to cast Detect Magic, Acid Splash or Ray of Frost, and three cantrips of their choice, and they learn to cast one new cantrip with each level.
At level five and higher a Cantrip Mage can choose to learn an orison from the cleric spell list instead. At level 10 and higher they may also choose from Bard and Druid level 0 spells. If Cure Minor Wounds is learned they can only heal 1hp a spell limiting its use in battle, but considering how many spells they have a day this can be potent means of healing after a fight when they can heal at their leisure.
Cantrip Mages also learn various Cantrip Powers as they advance, efficient ways of spending low level magic to mimic higher level effects of a few specific. Most of these continuously spend level 0 spells while activated.
They also learn Intensified Cantrips, a technique that can achieve any higher level effect through low level magic, but it is very inefficient and requires a lot of spells.
Skills
Skill Points at 1st Level
(8 + Int modifier) ×4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level
8 + Int modifier.
Class Skills:
Balance, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Escape Artist, Gather Information, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Open Lock, Ride, Search, Sleight of Hand, Spellcraft, Spot, Use Magic Device, Use Rope
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Cantrip Mages are proficient with the club, dagger, heavy crossbow, light crossbow, and quarterstaff, but not with any type of armor or shield. Armor of any type interferes with a Cantrip Mage’s movements, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail.
Table: Cantrip Mage
Bab progresses as wizard. Saving Throws progress as rogue.
{table="head"]Level|Special
1|Quickened Cantrip, Cantrip Evasion
2|Combine Cantrips/2
3|Alter Energy/1, Cantrip Flight
4|Combine Cantrips/3
5|Intensify Cantrip/1 school, Combined Quickened Cantrip/2
6|Combine Cantrips/4
7|Alter Energy/2, Cantrip Invisibility
8|Combine Cantrips/5
9|Intensify Cantrip/2 schools, Combined Quickened Cantrip/3
10|Combine Cantrips/6
11|Alter Energy/3, Cantrip Armor
12|Combine Cantrips/7
13|Intensify Cantrip/3 schools, Combined Quickened Cantrip/4
14|Combine Cantrips/8
15|Alter Energy/4, Cantrip Resistance
16|Combine Cantrips/9
17|Intensify Cantrip 4/schools, Combined Quickened Cantrip/5
18|Combine Cantrips/10
19|Alter Energy/5, Cantrip Seeing
20|Intensify Cantrip 5/schools, Cantrip Power
[/table]
Quickened Cantrip
Each round they may cast one level 0 spell as a quickened spell.
Cantrip Evasion
A Cantrip Mage can use a magical push to move themselves out of the way of attacks. This allows them to apply the Evasion feat to their Reflex saving throws, but each time they choose to use this it burns up 4 level 0 spells. They must choose to use Cantrip Evasion before rolling.
Combine Cantrip
When casting a combined cantrip they can use additional level 0 spell slots to intensify that spell. All variable, numeric effects of combined cantrips have the number of dice rolled multiplied by the number of slots combined. This does not affect range or duration. They can combine 2 level 0 slots at level 2, and a larger number of slots at higher levels. A combined cantrip's spell level increases by 1 for every 2 slots combined, making it hard to dispel or counter when many slots are used. Since even just two spells count as a Level 1 spell, a combined cantrip cannot be quickened.
Alter Energy
They can alter a spell when cast so that it utilizes a different element from the one it normally uses. This ability can only alter a spell with the acid, cold, fire, electricity, or sonic descriptor. For example, this allows them to throw a Frost Splash or use a Ray of Sonic. They learn one type of energy alteration at level 3, and new forms of energy as they progress until they know all 5 at level 19. When casting a combined spell, they may combine elements in a single spell in any manner they choose, for example firing a Ray of Frost 1/Sonic 3/Acid 2, rolling damage dice of each type in that ratio.
Cantrip Flight
At level 3 a Cantrip Mage may burn cantrips to fly, as the Fly spell. This is a standard action and spends 1 level 0 spell each round they remain aloft.
Intensified Cantrip
By combining a large number of level 0 spell slots a Cantrip Mage can achieve the effect of any higher level sor/wiz spell. They must pay any material or xp cost that spell has and follow all other casting requirements. A Cantrip Mage must know a cantrip in an attempted spell's school. They can only attempt spells in one school of magic at level 5, and learn additional schools of their choice as they advance. Intensified Cantrips cannot be used with Combined Cantrips or Alter Energy. The number of 0 level spells required rises swiftly with spell level, making higher level spells difficult if not impossible to cast. This ability may be used to counterspell.
{table="head"]Spell Level|Level 0 Slots Spent
1|10
2|15
3|25
4|40
5|60
6|85
7|105
8|140
9|180
[/table]
Combined Quickened Cantrip (yes, it's a mouthful)
Starting at level 5, a Cantrip Mage can use additional spells to cast their Quickened Cantrip as a Combined Cantrip.
Cantrip Invisibility
At level 7 a Cantrip Mage may burn cantrips to turn invisible, as the Invisibility spell. This is a standard action and spends 1 level 0 spell each round they remain invisible. Attacking drops their invisibility, and after becoming visible they cannot turn invisible again until the next round has passed.
Cantrip Armor
At level 11 as a standard action a Cantrip Mage may burn 10 level 0 spell slots to simultaneously cast Shield and Protection from Arrows on themselves.
Cantrip Resistance
At level 15 a Cantrip Mage may become immune to the first 10 points of damage from any type of energy they choose. Using this ability is a free action and can be activated in response to an opponent's attack, but burns 2 level 0 spell slots per round used. Only one type of energy can be shielded against at a time.
Cantrip Seeing
At level 19 a Cantrip Mage can activate True Seeing as a standard action, but doing so burns up 1 level 0 spell slot per round used.
Cantrip Power
At level 20 a Cantrip Mage no longer uses up spells when making use of Cantrip Evasion, Cantrip Flying, Cantrip Invisibility, Cantrip Armor, Cantrip Resistance, or Cantrip Seeing. They must still have at least one cantrip remaining to use these abilities.
HD: d6
Spells
Unlike other arcane classes a Cantrip Mage bases their spellcasting off Dexterity. Level 0 spell slots per day is equal to their (Dex)x(Cantrip Mage Caster Level)/2. At higher levels they can cast a huge number of cantrips a day, but usually combine them into fewer but stronger spells. Cantrip Mages are spontaneous spellcasters and do not need spellbooks.
Cantrip Mages can initially only cast Level 0 spells from the sor/wiz spell list. A Cantrip Mage starts at level 1 knowing how to cast Detect Magic, Acid Splash or Ray of Frost, and three cantrips of their choice, and they learn to cast one new cantrip with each level.
At level five and higher a Cantrip Mage can choose to learn an orison from the cleric spell list instead. At level 10 and higher they may also choose from Bard and Druid level 0 spells. If Cure Minor Wounds is learned they can only heal 1hp a spell limiting its use in battle, but considering how many spells they have a day this can be potent means of healing after a fight when they can heal at their leisure.
Cantrip Mages also learn various Cantrip Powers as they advance, efficient ways of spending low level magic to mimic higher level effects of a few specific. Most of these continuously spend level 0 spells while activated.
They also learn Intensified Cantrips, a technique that can achieve any higher level effect through low level magic, but it is very inefficient and requires a lot of spells.
Skills
Skill Points at 1st Level
(8 + Int modifier) ×4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level
8 + Int modifier.
Class Skills:
Balance, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Escape Artist, Gather Information, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Open Lock, Ride, Search, Sleight of Hand, Spellcraft, Spot, Use Magic Device, Use Rope
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Cantrip Mages are proficient with the club, dagger, heavy crossbow, light crossbow, and quarterstaff, but not with any type of armor or shield. Armor of any type interferes with a Cantrip Mage’s movements, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail.
Table: Cantrip Mage
Bab progresses as wizard. Saving Throws progress as rogue.
{table="head"]Level|Special
1|Quickened Cantrip, Cantrip Evasion
2|Combine Cantrips/2
3|Alter Energy/1, Cantrip Flight
4|Combine Cantrips/3
5|Intensify Cantrip/1 school, Combined Quickened Cantrip/2
6|Combine Cantrips/4
7|Alter Energy/2, Cantrip Invisibility
8|Combine Cantrips/5
9|Intensify Cantrip/2 schools, Combined Quickened Cantrip/3
10|Combine Cantrips/6
11|Alter Energy/3, Cantrip Armor
12|Combine Cantrips/7
13|Intensify Cantrip/3 schools, Combined Quickened Cantrip/4
14|Combine Cantrips/8
15|Alter Energy/4, Cantrip Resistance
16|Combine Cantrips/9
17|Intensify Cantrip 4/schools, Combined Quickened Cantrip/5
18|Combine Cantrips/10
19|Alter Energy/5, Cantrip Seeing
20|Intensify Cantrip 5/schools, Cantrip Power
[/table]
Quickened Cantrip
Each round they may cast one level 0 spell as a quickened spell.
Cantrip Evasion
A Cantrip Mage can use a magical push to move themselves out of the way of attacks. This allows them to apply the Evasion feat to their Reflex saving throws, but each time they choose to use this it burns up 4 level 0 spells. They must choose to use Cantrip Evasion before rolling.
Combine Cantrip
When casting a combined cantrip they can use additional level 0 spell slots to intensify that spell. All variable, numeric effects of combined cantrips have the number of dice rolled multiplied by the number of slots combined. This does not affect range or duration. They can combine 2 level 0 slots at level 2, and a larger number of slots at higher levels. A combined cantrip's spell level increases by 1 for every 2 slots combined, making it hard to dispel or counter when many slots are used. Since even just two spells count as a Level 1 spell, a combined cantrip cannot be quickened.
Alter Energy
They can alter a spell when cast so that it utilizes a different element from the one it normally uses. This ability can only alter a spell with the acid, cold, fire, electricity, or sonic descriptor. For example, this allows them to throw a Frost Splash or use a Ray of Sonic. They learn one type of energy alteration at level 3, and new forms of energy as they progress until they know all 5 at level 19. When casting a combined spell, they may combine elements in a single spell in any manner they choose, for example firing a Ray of Frost 1/Sonic 3/Acid 2, rolling damage dice of each type in that ratio.
Cantrip Flight
At level 3 a Cantrip Mage may burn cantrips to fly, as the Fly spell. This is a standard action and spends 1 level 0 spell each round they remain aloft.
Intensified Cantrip
By combining a large number of level 0 spell slots a Cantrip Mage can achieve the effect of any higher level sor/wiz spell. They must pay any material or xp cost that spell has and follow all other casting requirements. A Cantrip Mage must know a cantrip in an attempted spell's school. They can only attempt spells in one school of magic at level 5, and learn additional schools of their choice as they advance. Intensified Cantrips cannot be used with Combined Cantrips or Alter Energy. The number of 0 level spells required rises swiftly with spell level, making higher level spells difficult if not impossible to cast. This ability may be used to counterspell.
{table="head"]Spell Level|Level 0 Slots Spent
1|10
2|15
3|25
4|40
5|60
6|85
7|105
8|140
9|180
[/table]
Combined Quickened Cantrip (yes, it's a mouthful)
Starting at level 5, a Cantrip Mage can use additional spells to cast their Quickened Cantrip as a Combined Cantrip.
Cantrip Invisibility
At level 7 a Cantrip Mage may burn cantrips to turn invisible, as the Invisibility spell. This is a standard action and spends 1 level 0 spell each round they remain invisible. Attacking drops their invisibility, and after becoming visible they cannot turn invisible again until the next round has passed.
Cantrip Armor
At level 11 as a standard action a Cantrip Mage may burn 10 level 0 spell slots to simultaneously cast Shield and Protection from Arrows on themselves.
Cantrip Resistance
At level 15 a Cantrip Mage may become immune to the first 10 points of damage from any type of energy they choose. Using this ability is a free action and can be activated in response to an opponent's attack, but burns 2 level 0 spell slots per round used. Only one type of energy can be shielded against at a time.
Cantrip Seeing
At level 19 a Cantrip Mage can activate True Seeing as a standard action, but doing so burns up 1 level 0 spell slot per round used.
Cantrip Power
At level 20 a Cantrip Mage no longer uses up spells when making use of Cantrip Evasion, Cantrip Flying, Cantrip Invisibility, Cantrip Armor, Cantrip Resistance, or Cantrip Seeing. They must still have at least one cantrip remaining to use these abilities.