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View Full Version : Spell-less Wizard! (3.5 Variant Character Class, PEACH)



NeoSeraphi
2011-12-21, 03:05 PM
Some wizards do not study magic or carry around a toad and potions. Instead, they examine and practice the ancient and mysterious art of the Sublime Way. The Sublime Wizard is a force to be reckoned with!

Hit Dice: d6
Class Skills: Add Balance, Diplomacy, Hide, Jump, Martial Lore, Sense Motive, and Tumble to the wizard's class skill list. Remove Spellcraft from the wizards class skills.
Skill Points: 4+Int per level, x4 at first level

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A wizard of the Sublime Way is proficient with all simple weapons and one martial melee weapon of his choice, chosen when he gains his first level. He cannot change it later. A wizard of the Sublime Way is also proficient with light armor, but not with shields.

Maneuvers: Instead of spellcasting, a wizard of the Sublime Way is able to learn and prepare martial maneuvers. The disciplines available to him are the Setting Sun, Shadow Hand, Diamond Mind, Desert Wind, Iron Heart, Tiger Claw, Stone Dragon, and White Raven disciplines. He chooses his readied maneuvers by spending one hour reading his ancient texts. He receives the same number of maneuver slots per level as a wizard of the same level's spell slots. He may prepare his maneuvers in those slots. A wizard of the Sublime Way receives bonus maneuvers per day for a high Intelligence score, as if they were spells, but he has no recovery mechanic. He is limited to the number of maneuvers per day that his maneuvers per day/bonus maneuvers allow him. A wizard of the Sublime Way requires 8 hours of uninterrupted rest before he may prepare his maneuvers again.

Martial Texts: A wizard of the Sublime Way carries a book of maneuvers. This class feature functions in all ways like the spellbook class feature of the wizard, except that they only contain martial maneuvers. The wizard begins play with three 1st level maneuvers in his texts, and learns one new maneuver each time he gains a new wizard level. (These free maneuvers known are part of the Martial Texts class feature and are thus not advanced by martial prestige classes) The wizard may make a Martial Lore check, DC 15+maneuver level, to copy a new maneuver from a martial script into his martial texts, and afterwards treats that as a maneuver known. He may never copy maneuvers from the Devoted Spirit discipline into his martial texts.

Specialization: A wizard of the Sublime Way may specialize in a chosen discipline, if he likes. To do this, he must choose two other prohibited disciplines. A wizard may not choose the Diamond Mind discipline as a prohibited school. If the wizard decides to specialize in the Diamond Mind discipline, he need only choose one other discipline as his prohibited discipline. A wizard's prohibited disciplines are forever out of reach to him. He may not copy maneuvers from those disciplines into his martial texts, or learn them when he levels up, nor is he granted access to their stances. A wizard who takes the Martial Study or Martial Stance feat cannot choose a maneuver or stance from his prohibited discipline.

The benefits of specialization are as follows: A wizard of the Sublime Way receives the Blade Meditation feat at first level for the discipline he has selected. He need not meet the prerequisites of that feat. He also is able to prepare one additional maneuver per day per maneuver level, but it must be a maneuver of his specialized discipline. Finally, a wizard of the Sublime Way receives a +2 bonus on Martial Lore checks made to copy new maneuvers from his specialized discipline into his martial texts.

Stances: A wizard begins play with knowledge of one 1st level stance of his choice, chosen from one of the disciplines available to him. He receives stance progression as a swordsage of his wizard level.

Martial Feat Qualification: A wizard of the Sublime Way qualifies for martial feats from the Tome of Battle as if he was a swordsage.

Familiar: A wizard of the Sublime Way does not receive the services of a familiar.

Scribe Martial Script: A wizard of the Sublime Way is able to create and use Martial Scripts very easily. He receives Scribe Martial Script as a bonus feat at first level. This replaces the Scribe Scroll class feature.

Bonus Maneuver Feat: At 5th level, and every 5 levels after, a wizard gains knowledge of a maneuver feat as a bonus feat, chosen from the following list. He must meet all prerequisites for the feats.

Adaptive Style, Blade Meditation, Desert Fire, Extra Readied Maneuver, Falling Sun Attack, Ironheart Aura, Martial Stance, Martial Study, Shadow Blade, Stone Power, Sudden Recovery, Tiger Blooded, Unnerving Calm, Vital Recovery, White Raven Defense

bobthe6th
2011-12-21, 03:15 PM
:smallconfused: huh?

is this meant to be an even more bookish fighter than the sword sage? sorry, the title got me thinking some new magic system or something.

would be kinda cool if it worked like a normal wizard. instead of spells, it prepared martial maneuvers in its spell slots. it could get any maneuver it wrote down in its maneuver book, which it copied from martial scripts+two free per level.

the maneuver slots are used up after one shot, and need like 10 minutes of meditation to refill.

NeoSeraphi
2011-12-21, 03:19 PM
:smallconfused: huh?

is this meant to be an even more bookish fighter than the sword sage? sorry, the title got me thinking some new magic system or something.

would be kinda cool if it worked like a normal wizard. instead of spells, it prepared martial maneuvers in its spell slots. it could get any maneuver it wrote down in its maneuver book, which it copied from martial scripts.

Well, that's why I gave him access to every discipline but Devoted Spirit (because Devoted Spirit is divine, and therefore can't be "studied").

A maneuver book, huh...hmmm...that would allow him to prepare multiple maneuvers of the same type per day...but if I removed the recovery mechanic...Hmmm...

bobthe6th
2011-12-21, 03:26 PM
exactly. he would have the maneuver for every occasion, but be rather limited if he went nova.

he could know the trick that would drop this foe in one shot, but he only gets that shot a couple times. or he could fill up on one shot, and use it over and over, but be in a pickle if he needs another trick.

this would also be a great way to introduce homebrwed schools. the wizard learns them from books, and other martial adepts copy him.

Zaydos
2011-12-21, 03:27 PM
So it's swordsage with

Pro: Access to Warblade disciplines, 4 bonus feats and the ability to make Martial Scripts.

Con: Worse BAB, loses all of swordsage's class features, 2 less skill points, arguably worse skill list (knowledge is good, but without a reason to up Int not that good), worse hp, slightly worse weapon proficiencies.

Honestly the worse BAB and the lost of Wisdom to AC seems like a bigger loss than gaining access to Warblade disciplines and the bonus feats are a gain.

I do like the idea of having no maximum maneuvers known but instead readying from whatever is in his secret texts of ancient martial wisdom, but I can also see how that could be broken.

As a final note I now want to see a Sublime Familiar able to initiate your martial strikes.

NeoSeraphi
2011-12-21, 03:32 PM
Voila! The spell-less wizard is redone!