Rapidghoul
2012-01-11, 03:08 PM
Now with Black (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=226942) and White Mages (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=12481406#post12481406) accounted for, it would be good to combine their forces. With Red Mage! (http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Red_Mage) A great, fun class that levels both your arcane and divine spells at the same time, Red Mages usually get an ability to Dualcast (http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Dualcast) spells. So... here you go. (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/prestigeClasses/mysticTheurge.html)
Anyway, for this homebrew, I'm moving on to they're slightly less famous, more intriguing cousin, the Blue Mage (http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Blue_mage).
Blue Mages are weird. They don't learn anything as they level. Rather, they learn by getting smack in the face by spells (or in one case, eating the thing (http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Blue_Magic#Final_Fantasy_IX) that can cast it). So... this is a unique class to try to embody.
Compared to Black Mages, Blue Mages are kind of difficult to level and aren't as constant, but they usually have one or two of the absolutely most devastating spells ever. They can even cast the occasional healing spell, which becomes dangerous when making an arcane class.
To do this, I start with Sorcerer and strip out it's 7th-9th level casting abilities. They gain the ability to know a number of spell-like abilities instead, which must be learned through experience. The whole thing is kind of complicated, but I think it embodies Blue Mage pretty well.
Here's my first draft of Blue Mage.
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20060516153522/finalfantasy/images/2/24/Quina_Quen_character.jpg
"The only limitation is your imagination; that is where we differ. Now, let me show you what your spells can really do." - Strago Magus, Blue Mage
Blue Mages believe the best way to learn magic is to experience it. To them, magic is not something you can understand by reading books or scouring through old scrolls. This allows them to learn a wider array of spells than the traditional mage. Blue Mages pride themselves in being able to apply their skills to any situation, perhaps not the strongest in any field but always available.
Blue Mages, like Sorcerers, are typically born with innate magical abilities. While Sorcerers are said to have gained their powers from draconic heritage, Blue Mages are said to have bloodlines from any sort of magical creature like dragons, fey, giants, etc.
Adventures: Blue Mages adventure for any number of reasons. Many see adventuring as an opportunity to see and experience new forms of magic, hoping to learn it themselves. Blue Mages of a particular lineage might band together or ally themselves with different clans or kingdoms, encouraging them to go out on adventures.
Characteristics: Blue Mages excel at a number of roles in a party. They are good at being personable and empathetic to others due to their practices. They can also be threatening and intimidating with their unbound powers. Most Blue Mages like to show off their powers in flashy, loud ways; naturally, this is the best way to help others learn, so why use the powers any other way? The tend to be extroverted and boisterous in societies and well-collected and observant in natural settings.
Alignment: The long-term dedication to learning tends to push many Blue Mages to lawfulness. Those who spend their lives in the wild to learn directly from the natural forces will often be chaotic, but even these have some kind of code of honor or discipline. Good and evil Blue Mages both exist, but they often remain devoted more to the pursuit of knowledge rather than morality of either direction.
Religion: Often times Blue Mages will worship deities of magic and nature. Lots of families of Blue Mages will instead follow whatever religious beliefs of their lineages, Blue Mages with draconic ancestry following Bahamut, or those with fey ancestry following Obad-Hai.
Background: Blue Mages often have some form of fascination with collecting stories and knowledge from a young age. They make friends easily or join groups quickly, emulating others to gain their trust. When this mimicry takes form as their first magical prowess, the Blue Mage seeks out others who might teach them how to advance their knew-found powers.
Races: Any and all races can have Blue Magic found in their numbers. Anyone whose family tree includes a being with innate magic typically brings forth a Blue Mage every few generations. Large groups of Blue Mages often form their own villages, teaching each other and mingling the various magics of their bloodlines.
Other Classes: Blue Mages get along best with classes that seek out knowledge and those who teach others. Anyone who enjoys a sense of adventure that might bring a Blue Mage to situations where they can experience new magic in nature, like Rangers, Barbarians, and Druids, often find Blue Mages happily joining them for treks into the wilderness.
Role: Blue Mages typically run roles based on their spell and Lore selection. They can easily become blasters, focusing on offensive magics and power, but the ability to learn a wider selection of spells allows them to fill many different roles. They often serve as good secondary-options to roles in the party, able to buff or heal in place of a cleric then turn around and blast or control others as a wizard.
The Blue Mage
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special|Lores Recalled|0 Lvl|1st Lvl|2nd Lvl|3rd Lvl|4th Lvl|5th Lvl|6th Lvl
1st|+0|+0|+0|+2|Blue magic, magic sense, sapphire lore, summon familiar|1|5|3|-|-|-|-|-
2nd|+1|+0|+0|+3|Cerulean gaze|1|6|4|-|-|-|-|-
3rd|+1|+1|+1|+3|Azure secret|2|6|5|-|-|-|-|-
4th|+2|+1|+1|+4|Deceive item|2|6|5|3|-|-|-|-
5th|+2|+1|+1|+4|Sapphire link (0-level)|2|6|6|4|-|-|-|-
6th|+3|+2|+2|+5|Azure secret|3|6|6|5|-|-|-|-
7th|+3|+2|+2|+5|Improved cerulean gaze|3|6|6|5|3|-|-|-
8th|+4|+2|+2|+6|Lore focus|3|6|6|6|4|-|-|-
9th|+4|+3|+3|+6|Azure secret|4|6|6|6|5|-|-|-
10th|+5|+3|+3|+7|Sapphire link (1st-level)|4|6|6|6|5|3|-|-
11th|+5|+3|+3|+7|Greater cerulean gaze|4|6|6|6|6|4|-|-
12th|+6/+1|+4|+4|+8|Azure secret|5|6|6|6|6|5|-|-
13th|+6/+1|+4|+4|+8|Spellcraft mastery|5|6|6|6|6|5|3|-
14th|+7/+2|+4|+4|+9|Lore focus|5|6|6|6|6|6|4|-
15th|+7/+2|+5|+5|+9|Azure secret, sapphire link (2nd-level)|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|-
16th|+8/+3|+5|+5|+10|Heighten lore|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3
17th|+8/+3|+5|+5|+10|Empower lore, masterful cerulean gaze|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|4
18th|+9/+4|+6|+6|+11|Azure secret, maximize lore|7|6|6|6|6|6|6|5
19th|+9/+4|+6|+6|+11|Emulate charge, quicken lore|7|6|6|6|6|6|6|5
20th|+10/+5|+6|+6|+12|Blue thesis, lore focus, sapphire magnificence|7|6|6|6|6|6|6|6
[/table]
Abilities: Charisma determines how powerful a spell you can cast, how many you can cast per day, and how hard they are to resist. A high Intelligence helps with your large list of class skills and making Spellcraft checks to learn new Lores. Constitution helps for your relatively low hit die, and Dexterity helps make up for having no armor proficiency.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d6.
Class Skills: Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Knowledge (all), Profession, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, and Use Magic Device.
Skill Points at 1st level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at each additional level: 4 + Int modifier.
Blue Mage Features:
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Blue Mages are proficient all simple weapons and the scimitar, but not with any type of armor or shield.
Spells: A Blue Mage casts arcane spells largely from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. You can cast any spell you know without preparing ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, you must have a Charisma score of at least 10 + the spell level. The DC for a saving throw against your spells is 10 + the spell level + your Charisma modifier.
Like other spellcasters, you can cast only a certain number of spells of each level per day. In addition, you receive bonus spells per day if you have a high Charisma score. Your selection of spells is extremely limited (see below). You begin play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of your choice as well as a single 0-level spell to be your starting Sapphire Lore (see below). Upon reaching 4th Blue Mage level and every even level thereafter, you can choose to learn a new spell in place of one you already know of the same level.
Spells Known
{table=head]Level|-0-|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th
1st|4|2|-|-|-|-|-
2nd|5|2|-|-|-|-|-
3rd|5|2|-|-|-|-|-
4th|5|3|1|-|-|-|-
5th|5|3|1|-|-|-|-
6th|6|3|2|-|-|-|-
7th|6|3|2|1|-|-|-
8th|6|4|2|1|-|-|-
9th|6|4|3|2|-|-|-
10th|7|4|3|2|1|-|-
11th|7|4|3|2|1|-|-
12th|7|4|3|3|2|-|-
13th|7|4|4|3|2|1|-
14th|8|4|4|3|2|1|-
15th|8|4|4|3|3|2|-
16th|8|4|4|4|3|2|1
17th|8|4|4|4|3|2|1
18th|8|4|4|4|3|3|2
19th|8|4|4|4|4|3|2
20th|8|4|4|4|4|3|2
[/table]
Blue Magic: A Blue Mage is so in touch with the nature of magical energy that they have a sixth sense when it comes to spells. You gain a bonus equal to your Blue Mage level on any Spellcraft checks that have to do with spells or spell-like abilities that you know.
Additionally, as an immediate action any time you must roll a save (or multiple saves) for a spell or spell-like ability, you can attempt to sacrifice spell energy to help avoid harmful effects of the spell. Expend a spell slot or a daily use of a Sapphire Lore (see below) and make a Spellcraft check to identify the spell you are making a save for (see page 82 of the PHB). If you succeed, you add a bonus equal to the level of the spell or Sapphire Lore you gave up to all saves against that spell or spell-like ability until your next turn. If you fail, you still lose that spell or Sapphire Lore, but the magical energy fails to aid your saving throw. You can attempt to add this bonus as often as you wish, but you can make only one attempt per spell.
Finally, as an immediate action when you take damage from any source, you can attempt to sacrifice spell energy instead of losing hit points. Expend a spell slot or a daily use of a Sapphire Lore and make a Concentration check (DC 15 + the spell level). If you succeed, you ignore an amount of damage equal to your Charisma modifier times the level of the spell or Sapphire Lore you gave up. If you fail, you still lose that spell or Sapphire Lore, but the magical energy fails to negate any of the damage. You can attempt to negate damage as often as you wish, but you can make only one attempt per spell.
Magic Sense (Ex): At 1st level, you gain a +2 bonus to Knowledge (Arcana) and Spellcraft checks.
Sapphire Lore (Ex): A Blue Mage is so adept at understanding the nature of spells that they interact with that they are able to gain the powers of their foes. Any time you take damage, make a save, or are otherwise subject to the effects of a spell or spell-like ability, you may attune yourself to gain it as a spell-like ability.
To learn a spell or spell-like ability in this way, you must pass a Spellcraft check to identify it as an immediate action. You must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level, and it must have a spell level no higher than half your Blue Mage spellcasting level. So long as you meet these requirements, you gain knowledge of the spell or spell-like ability, even if you die or are otherwise incapacitated by the effect.
Sapphire Lores learned in this way can be from any source and any spell-list if they are 6th-level or below. Spells 7th-level or higher must be from the sorcerer/wizard spell list in order to learn them as a Sapphire Lore. If a spell appears on multiple spell-lists, use the following list to determine the spell level, using the first option available: sorcerer/wizard, cleric, druid, bard, paladin, then ranger. Once learned, you cannot change a Sapphire Lore. You cannot fill multiple Lore Slots with the same spell or spell-like ability.
Each time you gain a Blue Mage spellcasting level, you gain a new Lore Slot which can be filled with a spell level of half your Blue Mage level minus 1, rounded down. For example, when a Blue Mage levels to 6th level, they gain a 2nd-level Lore Slot (6 - 1 / 2) which they can use at any future point to learn a spell or spell-like ability of 2nd-level or lower. At 7th level, they gain a 3rd-level Lore Slot in the same way.
Each day, you must spend 1 hour of quiet recollection to decide which Sapphire Lores you will have access to for that day. You may only recall a certain number of Sapphire Lores each day based on your level (see above).
You may use each Sapphire Lore you recall 3 times per day. Unlike normal spell-like abilities, Sapphire Lores still have whatever verbal, somatic, and xp components the normal spell would have. They have the casting time of the normal spell which they resemble or duplicate.
(TL;DR Summary)This is a really complicated ability, but it boils down to a few key things: You have to identify the spell with Spellcraft.
You must have a high enough Cha score and a high enough Blue Mage level (twice the spell level +1).
You can learn any spell or spell-like ability up to 6th level and sorcerer/wizard spells up to 9th.
You gain one Lore Slot each level, increasing the Slot's level every odd level.
You can recall a certain number of Lores each day. Each Lore recalled can be used 3/day.
Lores do not ignore verbal, somatic, or XP components or casting times, but otherwise act like normal SLAs (no material components, can't be countered, use 10 + level + Cha for DC's, etc.).
Summon Familiar: As sorcerer.
Cerulean Gaze (Sp): Beginning at 2nd level, you can use detect magic as the spell at will.
Azure Secret (Ex): At 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th level, you choose one of your Sapphire Lores to be permanently modified as though the spell is affected by one of the following metamagic feats: Enlarge Spell, Extend Spell, Still Spell, or Silent Spell.
The lore's level and casting time do not change, and once the choices of Sapphire Lore and modification are made, they cannot be changed. You can choose the same Sapphire Lore to be modified in different ways with multiple Azure Secrets. You do not need to know the feat you apply with this ability.
Deceive Item (Ex): Beginning at 4th level, whenever you make a Use Magic Device check, you can take 10 even if distracted or threatened. You are treated as having all of your Sapphire Lores as part of your spell list for purposes of Use Magic Device.
Sapphire Link (Ex): As you level, your familiar can use some of the Sapphire Lores you have mastered. At 5th level, you may grant your familiar a Sapphire Lore that resembles or duplicates a 0-level spell. At 10th level, you may grant another Sapphire Lore that resembles or duplicates a spell of up to 1st-level. At 15th level, you may grant one that resembles or duplicates a spell of up to 2nd-level.
Your familiar can use any Sapphire Lore you grant it 3 times per day each, using 1/2 your caster level as its caster level. You cannot grant it any Sapphire Lore that requires an xp component. Once you choose a Sapphire Lore to grant your familiar, the choice cannot be changed. You cannot choose any Sapphire Lore granted to your familiar as one of your Lores Recalled for the day. They do not count towards your number of Lores Recalled for the day, but they still count towards your amount of lores known.
If your familiar dies, you do not gain back any Sapphire Lores you granted it until one year has passed. If you gain a new familiar, you may grant it Sapphire Lores as if you had had the familiar at the appropriate levels.
Improved Cerulean Gaze (Sp): Beginning at 7th level, you can use your Cerulean Gaze to pinpoint the abilities of a spellcaster. As a swift action, you can make a Sense Motive check against a spellcaster in range of your detect magic (DC 5 + the target's caster level). If you succeed, you know the highest-level spells the target is capable of casting (spells prepared for prepared casters or spells known for spontaneous casters). This benefit grants you no insight into spell-like or supernatural abilities.
Lore Focus: At 8th, 14th, and 20th level, you gain Ability Focus for one of your Sapphire Lores as a bonus feat (see Monster Manual pg 303).
Greater Cerulean Gaze (Sp): At 11th level, you can use your Cerulean Gaze ability to know what spell-like abilities the target is capable of using.
Spellcraft Mastery (Ex): Beginning at 13th level, whenever you make a Spellcraft check, you can take 10 even if distracted or threatened.
Heighten Lore: At 16th level, you gain Heighten Spell-Like Ability for one of your Sapphire Lores as a bonus feat (see Complete Arcane pg 80).
Empower Lore: At 17th level, you gain Empower Spell-Like Ability for one of your Sapphire Lores as a bonus feat (see Monster Manual pg 303).
Masterful Cerulean Gaze (Sp): At 17th level, you can use true vision as the spell at will.
Additionally, you can use your Cerulean Gaze ability to know all spells and spell-like abilities the target is capable of using.
Maximize Lore: At 18th level, you gain Maximize Spell-Like Ability for one of your Sapphire Lores as a bonus feat (see Complete Arcane pg 81).
Emulate Charge (Su): Beginning at 19th level, your mastery over the flow of magic is so great that you are able to channel your own powers to emulate charges of magic items. Three times per day, when you activate a staff or wand, you can substitute a daily use of one of your Sapphire Lores instead of using a charge. The lore must be of a level equal to or higher than the specific spell stored in the item, including any level-increasing metamagic enhancements the staff or wand has. You cannot emulate a charge of an item function that does not match a specific spell.
Quicken Lore: At 19th level, you gain Quicken Spell-Like Ability for one of your Sapphire Lores as a bonus feat (see Monster Manual pg 304).
Blue Thesis (Ex): At 20th level, choose one of your Sapphire Lores to be your thesis lore. When using that lore, you do so at +2 caster level. You are always treated as having recalled this Lore, and it does not count towards your number of Lores Recalled per day. You may use your thesis lore an additional three times per day. You cannot choose a Lore you have granted to your familiar with Sapphire Link to be your thesis lore.
Sapphire Magnificence: At 20th level, your insight to the nature of magic is so in depth that you gain the ability to manipulate your powers to peak efficiency. You and your familiar are immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance which you know as a spell or a Sapphire Lore. This is a constant extraordinary ability and does not need to be activated. You may suppress this ability as a free action.
Additionally, any Sapphire Lores which your familiar can use through a Sapphire Link it shares with you use your full caster level instead of half. Your familiar may still only use the lores you granted it and only 3 times per day each.
Finally, you may use any of your Sapphire Lores by expending an arcane spell slot of twice the Lore's level (treat 0-level Lores as 1/2 level for this purpose). For example, a 20th level Blue Mage can expend a 6th level spell slot to use Sapphire Lore (Fly) even if they did not recall that Lore that day.
BLUE MAGES AND PRESTIGE CLASSES
A Blue Mage that levels in a prestige class that advances arcane spellcasting gain both spells per day and spells known as a normal arcane spellcaster as well as an increased number of Lores Recalled and Lore Slots as if they had gained a level in Blue Mage. A Blue Mage cannot use their Sapphire Lores to qualify for prestige classes; they use their normal spellcasting ability for these purposes.
Notes on class abilities:
Basics:I wanted to make the class very sorcerer like without just adding a bunch of abilities to an already tier 2 class. I decided to cut off the normal sorcerer's spellcasting at 6th level spells, severely crippling it's normal spellcasting abilities. It's spells per day and spells known are shifted around to fit this. Even stalling at 6th level, Blue Mage gets 2 SLA's of each level, each usable 3/day if they recall it, meaning you'd still be able to do some devastation with 9th-level casting, just less versatility than a sorcerer has. I know versatility is what a sorcerer already lacks, but the change of spells hopefully creates a nice variety without crippling / empowering the class too much.
In terms of low level spells, a Blue Mage outshines a Sorcerer in terms of spells per day and spells known. At medium and later levels, it grows by leaps and bounds past a Blue Mage's spellcasting abilities. SLA's don't get extra uses per day based on high ability scores, and only getting up to 6th level is damning for a primary caster. That's why level 16-20 introduce a sudden shift in the power of Lores, making the last 5 levels of the class more worth while and competitive.
They get no armor and only simple weapons as Sorcerer. I added scimitar because, traditionally, Blue Mages get scimitars or sabers as weapons. d6 is to give them a little help out since they are literally designed to take magical hits. They get sorcerer skills with a couple additions for flavor, and 4 skill points is to help out multiple class features relying on them (Spellcraft, Concentration, Sense Motive...).
Magic Sense is a sorcerer version of the druid's Nature Sense. Summon Familiar is... Summon Familiar.
Blue Magic: The idea here is to fuel everything a Blue Mage needs to learn spell-like abilities safely.
First, a bonus for knowing spells, making it easier to identify stuff. Enough said.
Second, channeling a spell to grant a bonus to saves against spells if you can identify them first; this is to help keep the Blue Mage alive through the spells he's getting hit by so he can actually use them after he learns them.
Third (taken from the Dungeonscape Sorcerer ACF), making it safer to learn spells by preventing some of the damage when it hits you. It also emulates the MP Shield (http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Blue_Mage_(Final_Fantasy_Tactics_A2)#Reaction) ability from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2 to a degree.
Sapphire abilities: The big thing about Blue Mages has to be the random, monsterful list of abilities it gets. Originally I had a very convoluted system of spell-levels known, how to learn spells, converting things into SLA's... but I threw that out because no one would bother learning it. My motto is "the simpler the homebrew, the more usable and enjoyable the homebrew."
The system is simple enough: identify a spell you interact with, get it 3/day. You get 2 slots of each spell-level (0-9th), a new one every class level. Making it caster level-dependent is specifically to allow a Blue Mage to prestige out without losing the defining ability.
The reason they can learn from any spell list is simple; Blue Mage's can heal. They can in every game. They can even cast a Raise spell. This causes a problem for a class that is based on sorcerer. My solution? Limit it to 6th level spells if it's from non-sorcerer/wizard spell-lists. This keeps things like True Res and Miracle out, and it also leaves 7th-9th level Lores to fill in the gap made by only having up to 6th level spells, and only getting 2 per level keeps them from getting too ridiculous. Does this allow for some pretty amazing divine spells out there? Absolutely. But without the level of high level spell access, I don't think that's nearly as big a problem as it would be if you were to grant it to a normal Sorcerer.
Sapphire Link is similar to the Spell-Linked Familiar feat. It makes sense that if a Blue Mage focuses so much on monster-magic, they'd be able to share their magic with a monster they're very attune with. It also opens up recall slots by giving your familiar the low level lores you always use. Sapphire Magnificence is there to add a little versatility to the class as its capstone and encorporate the feeling of truly mastering spells you interact with.
Cerulean abilities: These abilities combine a few things (Warlock's level 2 ability, Spellthief's Discover Spells, the Vatic Gaze feat, etc.) to keep with the theme of a Blue Mage being extremely knowledgable and perceptive about magic and embodying the Scan (http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Libra_(Ability)) ability the original (http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Blue_Mage_(Final_Fantasy_V)) Blue Mage's get.
Azure Secret: Since the class can't apply metamagic feats to its lores, this is a way to make them a bit more dynamic.
Deceive Item, Spellcraft Mastery, and Emulate Charge: The first two of these abilities is simply meant to make some of the more random aspects of the class be more reliable. UMD is particularly imporant to a Blue Mage to be able to learn spells (grab a scroll, UMD it on yourself, ???, profit). Emulate Charge is taken from the Master Staff and Master Wand epic feats, limited to Lore uses and 3/day to make it less incredible but still work towards the theme of mastering the flow of magic.
Lore feats: Granting Ability Focus x3, Heighten SLA, Empower SLA, Maximize SLA, and Quicken SLA gives the class a little more strength at higher levels when the spell differences really weakens it in comparison to Sorcerer. The max level of Lore is left out for the prestige class/advanced learning trick a few classes have, even though it wouldn't help you out too much.
Blue Thesis: The idea here is to give you Arcane Thesis for a Lore, making you truly msaterful of that spell-like ability. It basically makes the Lore a true SLA, always ready to use rather than needing to be recalled. CL increase is standard from the normal feat, and extra times per day is something the class desperately needs at higher levels. Putting it at level 20 also allows you to pick your single 9th-level Lore as your Thesis, making it much more powerful.
The class on the whole ended up being a lot cleaner than I feared it being. Everything keeping the theme I was hoping for, a neat system for getting a lot of variability without seeming overly powerful (I hope). I'm not too sure on the balance of it or what tier it would land in, but that's fine with me so long as it looks like a fun class to play.
Anyway, for this homebrew, I'm moving on to they're slightly less famous, more intriguing cousin, the Blue Mage (http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Blue_mage).
Blue Mages are weird. They don't learn anything as they level. Rather, they learn by getting smack in the face by spells (or in one case, eating the thing (http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Blue_Magic#Final_Fantasy_IX) that can cast it). So... this is a unique class to try to embody.
Compared to Black Mages, Blue Mages are kind of difficult to level and aren't as constant, but they usually have one or two of the absolutely most devastating spells ever. They can even cast the occasional healing spell, which becomes dangerous when making an arcane class.
To do this, I start with Sorcerer and strip out it's 7th-9th level casting abilities. They gain the ability to know a number of spell-like abilities instead, which must be learned through experience. The whole thing is kind of complicated, but I think it embodies Blue Mage pretty well.
Here's my first draft of Blue Mage.
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20060516153522/finalfantasy/images/2/24/Quina_Quen_character.jpg
"The only limitation is your imagination; that is where we differ. Now, let me show you what your spells can really do." - Strago Magus, Blue Mage
Blue Mages believe the best way to learn magic is to experience it. To them, magic is not something you can understand by reading books or scouring through old scrolls. This allows them to learn a wider array of spells than the traditional mage. Blue Mages pride themselves in being able to apply their skills to any situation, perhaps not the strongest in any field but always available.
Blue Mages, like Sorcerers, are typically born with innate magical abilities. While Sorcerers are said to have gained their powers from draconic heritage, Blue Mages are said to have bloodlines from any sort of magical creature like dragons, fey, giants, etc.
Adventures: Blue Mages adventure for any number of reasons. Many see adventuring as an opportunity to see and experience new forms of magic, hoping to learn it themselves. Blue Mages of a particular lineage might band together or ally themselves with different clans or kingdoms, encouraging them to go out on adventures.
Characteristics: Blue Mages excel at a number of roles in a party. They are good at being personable and empathetic to others due to their practices. They can also be threatening and intimidating with their unbound powers. Most Blue Mages like to show off their powers in flashy, loud ways; naturally, this is the best way to help others learn, so why use the powers any other way? The tend to be extroverted and boisterous in societies and well-collected and observant in natural settings.
Alignment: The long-term dedication to learning tends to push many Blue Mages to lawfulness. Those who spend their lives in the wild to learn directly from the natural forces will often be chaotic, but even these have some kind of code of honor or discipline. Good and evil Blue Mages both exist, but they often remain devoted more to the pursuit of knowledge rather than morality of either direction.
Religion: Often times Blue Mages will worship deities of magic and nature. Lots of families of Blue Mages will instead follow whatever religious beliefs of their lineages, Blue Mages with draconic ancestry following Bahamut, or those with fey ancestry following Obad-Hai.
Background: Blue Mages often have some form of fascination with collecting stories and knowledge from a young age. They make friends easily or join groups quickly, emulating others to gain their trust. When this mimicry takes form as their first magical prowess, the Blue Mage seeks out others who might teach them how to advance their knew-found powers.
Races: Any and all races can have Blue Magic found in their numbers. Anyone whose family tree includes a being with innate magic typically brings forth a Blue Mage every few generations. Large groups of Blue Mages often form their own villages, teaching each other and mingling the various magics of their bloodlines.
Other Classes: Blue Mages get along best with classes that seek out knowledge and those who teach others. Anyone who enjoys a sense of adventure that might bring a Blue Mage to situations where they can experience new magic in nature, like Rangers, Barbarians, and Druids, often find Blue Mages happily joining them for treks into the wilderness.
Role: Blue Mages typically run roles based on their spell and Lore selection. They can easily become blasters, focusing on offensive magics and power, but the ability to learn a wider selection of spells allows them to fill many different roles. They often serve as good secondary-options to roles in the party, able to buff or heal in place of a cleric then turn around and blast or control others as a wizard.
The Blue Mage
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special|Lores Recalled|0 Lvl|1st Lvl|2nd Lvl|3rd Lvl|4th Lvl|5th Lvl|6th Lvl
1st|+0|+0|+0|+2|Blue magic, magic sense, sapphire lore, summon familiar|1|5|3|-|-|-|-|-
2nd|+1|+0|+0|+3|Cerulean gaze|1|6|4|-|-|-|-|-
3rd|+1|+1|+1|+3|Azure secret|2|6|5|-|-|-|-|-
4th|+2|+1|+1|+4|Deceive item|2|6|5|3|-|-|-|-
5th|+2|+1|+1|+4|Sapphire link (0-level)|2|6|6|4|-|-|-|-
6th|+3|+2|+2|+5|Azure secret|3|6|6|5|-|-|-|-
7th|+3|+2|+2|+5|Improved cerulean gaze|3|6|6|5|3|-|-|-
8th|+4|+2|+2|+6|Lore focus|3|6|6|6|4|-|-|-
9th|+4|+3|+3|+6|Azure secret|4|6|6|6|5|-|-|-
10th|+5|+3|+3|+7|Sapphire link (1st-level)|4|6|6|6|5|3|-|-
11th|+5|+3|+3|+7|Greater cerulean gaze|4|6|6|6|6|4|-|-
12th|+6/+1|+4|+4|+8|Azure secret|5|6|6|6|6|5|-|-
13th|+6/+1|+4|+4|+8|Spellcraft mastery|5|6|6|6|6|5|3|-
14th|+7/+2|+4|+4|+9|Lore focus|5|6|6|6|6|6|4|-
15th|+7/+2|+5|+5|+9|Azure secret, sapphire link (2nd-level)|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|-
16th|+8/+3|+5|+5|+10|Heighten lore|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3
17th|+8/+3|+5|+5|+10|Empower lore, masterful cerulean gaze|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|4
18th|+9/+4|+6|+6|+11|Azure secret, maximize lore|7|6|6|6|6|6|6|5
19th|+9/+4|+6|+6|+11|Emulate charge, quicken lore|7|6|6|6|6|6|6|5
20th|+10/+5|+6|+6|+12|Blue thesis, lore focus, sapphire magnificence|7|6|6|6|6|6|6|6
[/table]
Abilities: Charisma determines how powerful a spell you can cast, how many you can cast per day, and how hard they are to resist. A high Intelligence helps with your large list of class skills and making Spellcraft checks to learn new Lores. Constitution helps for your relatively low hit die, and Dexterity helps make up for having no armor proficiency.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d6.
Class Skills: Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Knowledge (all), Profession, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, and Use Magic Device.
Skill Points at 1st level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at each additional level: 4 + Int modifier.
Blue Mage Features:
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Blue Mages are proficient all simple weapons and the scimitar, but not with any type of armor or shield.
Spells: A Blue Mage casts arcane spells largely from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. You can cast any spell you know without preparing ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, you must have a Charisma score of at least 10 + the spell level. The DC for a saving throw against your spells is 10 + the spell level + your Charisma modifier.
Like other spellcasters, you can cast only a certain number of spells of each level per day. In addition, you receive bonus spells per day if you have a high Charisma score. Your selection of spells is extremely limited (see below). You begin play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of your choice as well as a single 0-level spell to be your starting Sapphire Lore (see below). Upon reaching 4th Blue Mage level and every even level thereafter, you can choose to learn a new spell in place of one you already know of the same level.
Spells Known
{table=head]Level|-0-|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th
1st|4|2|-|-|-|-|-
2nd|5|2|-|-|-|-|-
3rd|5|2|-|-|-|-|-
4th|5|3|1|-|-|-|-
5th|5|3|1|-|-|-|-
6th|6|3|2|-|-|-|-
7th|6|3|2|1|-|-|-
8th|6|4|2|1|-|-|-
9th|6|4|3|2|-|-|-
10th|7|4|3|2|1|-|-
11th|7|4|3|2|1|-|-
12th|7|4|3|3|2|-|-
13th|7|4|4|3|2|1|-
14th|8|4|4|3|2|1|-
15th|8|4|4|3|3|2|-
16th|8|4|4|4|3|2|1
17th|8|4|4|4|3|2|1
18th|8|4|4|4|3|3|2
19th|8|4|4|4|4|3|2
20th|8|4|4|4|4|3|2
[/table]
Blue Magic: A Blue Mage is so in touch with the nature of magical energy that they have a sixth sense when it comes to spells. You gain a bonus equal to your Blue Mage level on any Spellcraft checks that have to do with spells or spell-like abilities that you know.
Additionally, as an immediate action any time you must roll a save (or multiple saves) for a spell or spell-like ability, you can attempt to sacrifice spell energy to help avoid harmful effects of the spell. Expend a spell slot or a daily use of a Sapphire Lore (see below) and make a Spellcraft check to identify the spell you are making a save for (see page 82 of the PHB). If you succeed, you add a bonus equal to the level of the spell or Sapphire Lore you gave up to all saves against that spell or spell-like ability until your next turn. If you fail, you still lose that spell or Sapphire Lore, but the magical energy fails to aid your saving throw. You can attempt to add this bonus as often as you wish, but you can make only one attempt per spell.
Finally, as an immediate action when you take damage from any source, you can attempt to sacrifice spell energy instead of losing hit points. Expend a spell slot or a daily use of a Sapphire Lore and make a Concentration check (DC 15 + the spell level). If you succeed, you ignore an amount of damage equal to your Charisma modifier times the level of the spell or Sapphire Lore you gave up. If you fail, you still lose that spell or Sapphire Lore, but the magical energy fails to negate any of the damage. You can attempt to negate damage as often as you wish, but you can make only one attempt per spell.
Magic Sense (Ex): At 1st level, you gain a +2 bonus to Knowledge (Arcana) and Spellcraft checks.
Sapphire Lore (Ex): A Blue Mage is so adept at understanding the nature of spells that they interact with that they are able to gain the powers of their foes. Any time you take damage, make a save, or are otherwise subject to the effects of a spell or spell-like ability, you may attune yourself to gain it as a spell-like ability.
To learn a spell or spell-like ability in this way, you must pass a Spellcraft check to identify it as an immediate action. You must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level, and it must have a spell level no higher than half your Blue Mage spellcasting level. So long as you meet these requirements, you gain knowledge of the spell or spell-like ability, even if you die or are otherwise incapacitated by the effect.
Sapphire Lores learned in this way can be from any source and any spell-list if they are 6th-level or below. Spells 7th-level or higher must be from the sorcerer/wizard spell list in order to learn them as a Sapphire Lore. If a spell appears on multiple spell-lists, use the following list to determine the spell level, using the first option available: sorcerer/wizard, cleric, druid, bard, paladin, then ranger. Once learned, you cannot change a Sapphire Lore. You cannot fill multiple Lore Slots with the same spell or spell-like ability.
Each time you gain a Blue Mage spellcasting level, you gain a new Lore Slot which can be filled with a spell level of half your Blue Mage level minus 1, rounded down. For example, when a Blue Mage levels to 6th level, they gain a 2nd-level Lore Slot (6 - 1 / 2) which they can use at any future point to learn a spell or spell-like ability of 2nd-level or lower. At 7th level, they gain a 3rd-level Lore Slot in the same way.
Each day, you must spend 1 hour of quiet recollection to decide which Sapphire Lores you will have access to for that day. You may only recall a certain number of Sapphire Lores each day based on your level (see above).
You may use each Sapphire Lore you recall 3 times per day. Unlike normal spell-like abilities, Sapphire Lores still have whatever verbal, somatic, and xp components the normal spell would have. They have the casting time of the normal spell which they resemble or duplicate.
(TL;DR Summary)This is a really complicated ability, but it boils down to a few key things: You have to identify the spell with Spellcraft.
You must have a high enough Cha score and a high enough Blue Mage level (twice the spell level +1).
You can learn any spell or spell-like ability up to 6th level and sorcerer/wizard spells up to 9th.
You gain one Lore Slot each level, increasing the Slot's level every odd level.
You can recall a certain number of Lores each day. Each Lore recalled can be used 3/day.
Lores do not ignore verbal, somatic, or XP components or casting times, but otherwise act like normal SLAs (no material components, can't be countered, use 10 + level + Cha for DC's, etc.).
Summon Familiar: As sorcerer.
Cerulean Gaze (Sp): Beginning at 2nd level, you can use detect magic as the spell at will.
Azure Secret (Ex): At 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th level, you choose one of your Sapphire Lores to be permanently modified as though the spell is affected by one of the following metamagic feats: Enlarge Spell, Extend Spell, Still Spell, or Silent Spell.
The lore's level and casting time do not change, and once the choices of Sapphire Lore and modification are made, they cannot be changed. You can choose the same Sapphire Lore to be modified in different ways with multiple Azure Secrets. You do not need to know the feat you apply with this ability.
Deceive Item (Ex): Beginning at 4th level, whenever you make a Use Magic Device check, you can take 10 even if distracted or threatened. You are treated as having all of your Sapphire Lores as part of your spell list for purposes of Use Magic Device.
Sapphire Link (Ex): As you level, your familiar can use some of the Sapphire Lores you have mastered. At 5th level, you may grant your familiar a Sapphire Lore that resembles or duplicates a 0-level spell. At 10th level, you may grant another Sapphire Lore that resembles or duplicates a spell of up to 1st-level. At 15th level, you may grant one that resembles or duplicates a spell of up to 2nd-level.
Your familiar can use any Sapphire Lore you grant it 3 times per day each, using 1/2 your caster level as its caster level. You cannot grant it any Sapphire Lore that requires an xp component. Once you choose a Sapphire Lore to grant your familiar, the choice cannot be changed. You cannot choose any Sapphire Lore granted to your familiar as one of your Lores Recalled for the day. They do not count towards your number of Lores Recalled for the day, but they still count towards your amount of lores known.
If your familiar dies, you do not gain back any Sapphire Lores you granted it until one year has passed. If you gain a new familiar, you may grant it Sapphire Lores as if you had had the familiar at the appropriate levels.
Improved Cerulean Gaze (Sp): Beginning at 7th level, you can use your Cerulean Gaze to pinpoint the abilities of a spellcaster. As a swift action, you can make a Sense Motive check against a spellcaster in range of your detect magic (DC 5 + the target's caster level). If you succeed, you know the highest-level spells the target is capable of casting (spells prepared for prepared casters or spells known for spontaneous casters). This benefit grants you no insight into spell-like or supernatural abilities.
Lore Focus: At 8th, 14th, and 20th level, you gain Ability Focus for one of your Sapphire Lores as a bonus feat (see Monster Manual pg 303).
Greater Cerulean Gaze (Sp): At 11th level, you can use your Cerulean Gaze ability to know what spell-like abilities the target is capable of using.
Spellcraft Mastery (Ex): Beginning at 13th level, whenever you make a Spellcraft check, you can take 10 even if distracted or threatened.
Heighten Lore: At 16th level, you gain Heighten Spell-Like Ability for one of your Sapphire Lores as a bonus feat (see Complete Arcane pg 80).
Empower Lore: At 17th level, you gain Empower Spell-Like Ability for one of your Sapphire Lores as a bonus feat (see Monster Manual pg 303).
Masterful Cerulean Gaze (Sp): At 17th level, you can use true vision as the spell at will.
Additionally, you can use your Cerulean Gaze ability to know all spells and spell-like abilities the target is capable of using.
Maximize Lore: At 18th level, you gain Maximize Spell-Like Ability for one of your Sapphire Lores as a bonus feat (see Complete Arcane pg 81).
Emulate Charge (Su): Beginning at 19th level, your mastery over the flow of magic is so great that you are able to channel your own powers to emulate charges of magic items. Three times per day, when you activate a staff or wand, you can substitute a daily use of one of your Sapphire Lores instead of using a charge. The lore must be of a level equal to or higher than the specific spell stored in the item, including any level-increasing metamagic enhancements the staff or wand has. You cannot emulate a charge of an item function that does not match a specific spell.
Quicken Lore: At 19th level, you gain Quicken Spell-Like Ability for one of your Sapphire Lores as a bonus feat (see Monster Manual pg 304).
Blue Thesis (Ex): At 20th level, choose one of your Sapphire Lores to be your thesis lore. When using that lore, you do so at +2 caster level. You are always treated as having recalled this Lore, and it does not count towards your number of Lores Recalled per day. You may use your thesis lore an additional three times per day. You cannot choose a Lore you have granted to your familiar with Sapphire Link to be your thesis lore.
Sapphire Magnificence: At 20th level, your insight to the nature of magic is so in depth that you gain the ability to manipulate your powers to peak efficiency. You and your familiar are immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance which you know as a spell or a Sapphire Lore. This is a constant extraordinary ability and does not need to be activated. You may suppress this ability as a free action.
Additionally, any Sapphire Lores which your familiar can use through a Sapphire Link it shares with you use your full caster level instead of half. Your familiar may still only use the lores you granted it and only 3 times per day each.
Finally, you may use any of your Sapphire Lores by expending an arcane spell slot of twice the Lore's level (treat 0-level Lores as 1/2 level for this purpose). For example, a 20th level Blue Mage can expend a 6th level spell slot to use Sapphire Lore (Fly) even if they did not recall that Lore that day.
BLUE MAGES AND PRESTIGE CLASSES
A Blue Mage that levels in a prestige class that advances arcane spellcasting gain both spells per day and spells known as a normal arcane spellcaster as well as an increased number of Lores Recalled and Lore Slots as if they had gained a level in Blue Mage. A Blue Mage cannot use their Sapphire Lores to qualify for prestige classes; they use their normal spellcasting ability for these purposes.
Notes on class abilities:
Basics:I wanted to make the class very sorcerer like without just adding a bunch of abilities to an already tier 2 class. I decided to cut off the normal sorcerer's spellcasting at 6th level spells, severely crippling it's normal spellcasting abilities. It's spells per day and spells known are shifted around to fit this. Even stalling at 6th level, Blue Mage gets 2 SLA's of each level, each usable 3/day if they recall it, meaning you'd still be able to do some devastation with 9th-level casting, just less versatility than a sorcerer has. I know versatility is what a sorcerer already lacks, but the change of spells hopefully creates a nice variety without crippling / empowering the class too much.
In terms of low level spells, a Blue Mage outshines a Sorcerer in terms of spells per day and spells known. At medium and later levels, it grows by leaps and bounds past a Blue Mage's spellcasting abilities. SLA's don't get extra uses per day based on high ability scores, and only getting up to 6th level is damning for a primary caster. That's why level 16-20 introduce a sudden shift in the power of Lores, making the last 5 levels of the class more worth while and competitive.
They get no armor and only simple weapons as Sorcerer. I added scimitar because, traditionally, Blue Mages get scimitars or sabers as weapons. d6 is to give them a little help out since they are literally designed to take magical hits. They get sorcerer skills with a couple additions for flavor, and 4 skill points is to help out multiple class features relying on them (Spellcraft, Concentration, Sense Motive...).
Magic Sense is a sorcerer version of the druid's Nature Sense. Summon Familiar is... Summon Familiar.
Blue Magic: The idea here is to fuel everything a Blue Mage needs to learn spell-like abilities safely.
First, a bonus for knowing spells, making it easier to identify stuff. Enough said.
Second, channeling a spell to grant a bonus to saves against spells if you can identify them first; this is to help keep the Blue Mage alive through the spells he's getting hit by so he can actually use them after he learns them.
Third (taken from the Dungeonscape Sorcerer ACF), making it safer to learn spells by preventing some of the damage when it hits you. It also emulates the MP Shield (http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Blue_Mage_(Final_Fantasy_Tactics_A2)#Reaction) ability from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2 to a degree.
Sapphire abilities: The big thing about Blue Mages has to be the random, monsterful list of abilities it gets. Originally I had a very convoluted system of spell-levels known, how to learn spells, converting things into SLA's... but I threw that out because no one would bother learning it. My motto is "the simpler the homebrew, the more usable and enjoyable the homebrew."
The system is simple enough: identify a spell you interact with, get it 3/day. You get 2 slots of each spell-level (0-9th), a new one every class level. Making it caster level-dependent is specifically to allow a Blue Mage to prestige out without losing the defining ability.
The reason they can learn from any spell list is simple; Blue Mage's can heal. They can in every game. They can even cast a Raise spell. This causes a problem for a class that is based on sorcerer. My solution? Limit it to 6th level spells if it's from non-sorcerer/wizard spell-lists. This keeps things like True Res and Miracle out, and it also leaves 7th-9th level Lores to fill in the gap made by only having up to 6th level spells, and only getting 2 per level keeps them from getting too ridiculous. Does this allow for some pretty amazing divine spells out there? Absolutely. But without the level of high level spell access, I don't think that's nearly as big a problem as it would be if you were to grant it to a normal Sorcerer.
Sapphire Link is similar to the Spell-Linked Familiar feat. It makes sense that if a Blue Mage focuses so much on monster-magic, they'd be able to share their magic with a monster they're very attune with. It also opens up recall slots by giving your familiar the low level lores you always use. Sapphire Magnificence is there to add a little versatility to the class as its capstone and encorporate the feeling of truly mastering spells you interact with.
Cerulean abilities: These abilities combine a few things (Warlock's level 2 ability, Spellthief's Discover Spells, the Vatic Gaze feat, etc.) to keep with the theme of a Blue Mage being extremely knowledgable and perceptive about magic and embodying the Scan (http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Libra_(Ability)) ability the original (http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Blue_Mage_(Final_Fantasy_V)) Blue Mage's get.
Azure Secret: Since the class can't apply metamagic feats to its lores, this is a way to make them a bit more dynamic.
Deceive Item, Spellcraft Mastery, and Emulate Charge: The first two of these abilities is simply meant to make some of the more random aspects of the class be more reliable. UMD is particularly imporant to a Blue Mage to be able to learn spells (grab a scroll, UMD it on yourself, ???, profit). Emulate Charge is taken from the Master Staff and Master Wand epic feats, limited to Lore uses and 3/day to make it less incredible but still work towards the theme of mastering the flow of magic.
Lore feats: Granting Ability Focus x3, Heighten SLA, Empower SLA, Maximize SLA, and Quicken SLA gives the class a little more strength at higher levels when the spell differences really weakens it in comparison to Sorcerer. The max level of Lore is left out for the prestige class/advanced learning trick a few classes have, even though it wouldn't help you out too much.
Blue Thesis: The idea here is to give you Arcane Thesis for a Lore, making you truly msaterful of that spell-like ability. It basically makes the Lore a true SLA, always ready to use rather than needing to be recalled. CL increase is standard from the normal feat, and extra times per day is something the class desperately needs at higher levels. Putting it at level 20 also allows you to pick your single 9th-level Lore as your Thesis, making it much more powerful.
The class on the whole ended up being a lot cleaner than I feared it being. Everything keeping the theme I was hoping for, a neat system for getting a lot of variability without seeming overly powerful (I hope). I'm not too sure on the balance of it or what tier it would land in, but that's fine with me so long as it looks like a fun class to play.