Iituem
2007-02-21, 06:50 AM
An old class I developed a while back, dug up from the files...
The Magician - Tricks of the Trade
Abilities: Dexterity is used in a number of the magician's skills and determines how difficult a trick is to save against, whereas Intelligence determines how powerful a trick he can manage and the number of bonus spells he receives. To perform a trick, a magician must have an Intelligence score of 10 + the trick's level. The magician gets bonus tricks based on Dexterity. The difficulty class of a saving throw against a magician's trick is 10 + the trick's level + the magician's Dexterity modifier (except for confidence tricks, which use Cha). Spell resistance is impossible against tricks because they are not actually magic, although most tricks offer a saving throw.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d4
Class Skills: The magician's class skills are Balance, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Disguise, Escape Artist, Forgery, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (all skills, taken indiviually), Listen, Move Silently, Perform, Profession, Open Lock, Ride, Search, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Spot, Swim, Tumble, Use Rope.
Skill points at 1st level: (4 + Int modifier) x4
Skill points at each additional level: 4 + Int modifier
The Magician
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th| 9th
1st|
+0|
+-|
+2|
+0|Trick in a Box, Alchemical Proficiency|3|1
2nd|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+0|-|4|2|-
3rd|
+1|
+1|
+3|
+1|-|4|2|1|-
4th|
+2|
+1|
+4|
+1|-|4|3|2|-|-
5th|
+2|
+1|
+4|
+1|-|4|3|2|1|-|-
6th|
+3|
+2|
+5|
+2|-|4|4|3|2|-|-|-
7th|
+3|
+2|
+5|
+2|-|4|4|3|2|1|-|-|-
8th|
+4|
+2|
+6|
+2|-|4|4|4|3|2|-|-|-|-|-
9th|
+4|
+3|
+6|
+3|-|4|4|4|3|2|1|-|-|-|-
10th|
+5|
+3|
+7|
+3|-|4|4|4|4|3|2|-|-|-|-
11th|
+5|
+3|
+7|
+3|-|4|4|4|4|3|2|1|-|-|-
12th|
+6/+1|
+4|
+8|
+4|-|4|4|4|4|4|3|2|-|-|-
13th|
+6/+1|
+4|
+8|
+4|-|4|4|4|4|4|3|2|1|-|-
14th|
+7/+2|
+4|
+9|
+4|-|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|2|-|-
15th|
+7/+2|
+5|
+9|
+5|-|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|2|1|-
16th|
+8/+3|
+5|
+10|
+5|-|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|2|-
17th|
+8/+3|
+5|
+10|
+5|-|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|2|1
18th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+11|
+6|-|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|2
19th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+11|
+6|-|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|3
20th|
+10/+5|
+6|
+12|
+6|-|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|4[/table]
Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Magicians are proficient with the crossbow (hand or light), dagger (any type), dart, light mace, sap, shortbow (normal and composite) and short sword. Medium sized magicians are additionally proficient with the club, heavy crossbow, heavy mace, morningstar, quarterstaff and rapier. Magicians are proficient with light armour, although armour that would enforce an arcane spell check penalty applies the same penalty to any trick with a somatic component.
Tricks: A magician performs tricks, rather than casting spells. These are mundane effects meant to mimic magic but do not involve any magical components at all. He can manage a cetain number of tricks per day according to his class level before running out of prepared materials or routines. A magician must prepare his tricks ahead of time by getting at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep and spending one hour preparing the various components for his tricks or memorising confidence routines. To prepare or perform a trick, a magician must have an Intelligence score of at least 10 + the trick's level. A magician's bonus tricks are based on Intelligence, although the difficulty to save against a magician's tricks are based on Dexterity (except for Confidence tricks). Magicians may learn any number of tricks.
If a magician is interrupted whilst performing a trick, he must make a Concentration check as a wizard would to continue carrying out the trick. The magician may make a Sleight of Hand check to identify a trick being performed (DC 15 + trick level).
Trick in a Box: The magician may prepare a trick in advance, packaging it in a box for later use. He can create a box with any trick he knows. Preparing a trick takes one day for each 1000gp in its base price. The base price of the box is its trick level x its caster level x 25gp. To prepare a trick, he must spend 1/25 of this base price in XP and use up raw materials costing half this base price. Tricks with costly material components or XP costs require the material component to be used or the XP component paid in the production of the trick.
Alchemical Proficiency: Although magicians are not spellcasters, they are fully proficient in the science of alchemy and can use the skill just as a spellcaster would be able to.
Portfolio: Magicians must use their portfolio when preparing tricks, a small bag, folder or book containing the details for their various tricks. They require no additional props to prepare Legerdemain or Confidence tricks. Conjuration and Illusion tricks require whatever material components are used in the performance of the trick to prepare. Pyrotechnic tricks require access to an alchemist's laboratory (his own or another's). A portable laboratory can be used, costing 500gp and weighing 8lbs, although this laboratory will not provide the usual +2 circumstance bonus to Alchemy checks.
A magician cannot prepare any trick not noted down in his portfolio. A magician begins play with a portfolio containing all 0-level magician tricks plus three 1st level tricks of the player's choice. For each point of Intelligence bonus the magician has, the portfolio holds one additional 1st level trick. Each time the magician achieves a new level, he gains two new tricks of any level or levels that he can cast (according to his new level). If the magician has chosen to specialise, one of the two free tricks must be from the magician's specialty school. The magician can also add tricks found in other magicians' portfolios.
A magician can use a borrowed portfolio to prepare a trick he already knows and has recorded in his own portfolio, but success is not assured. He must make a successful Sleight of Hand check (DC 15 + the spell's level) to determine the right style to perform the trick. If the check succeeds, the magician prepares the trick. He must repeat the check to prepare the trick again, no matter how many times he has prepared the trick before. If the check fails, he cannot try to prepare the trick from the same source again until the next day. Many magicians write their portfolios in code, requiring a successful Decipher Script check against DC 20 + the trick's level to translate.
Magicians can add new tricks to their portfolios through several methods. If he has chosen to specialise in a school of trickery, he can learn tricks only from the schools he can perform. In addition to the free tricks a magician learns at new levels, a magician can add tricks to his portfolio whenever he encounters a new boxed trick or a trick in another magician's portfolio. If the trick is in code he must decipher it as above, after which the magician must make a Sleight of Hand check (DC 15 + the trick's level) to learn it and spend a full day practising. Although actually learning the trick is based on Dexterity, a magician cannot succesfully learn a trick unless he has an Intelligence score equal to 10 + the trick's level. Magicians who have specialised in a school of trickery gains a +2 bonus on his check if the new trick is from his specialty school (but cannot learn any tricks from a prohibited school).
On a successful check, the magician learns the trick and can copy it into his portfolio. The process leaves a portfolio copied from unharmed, but requires the activation (and thus expenditure) of any boxed tricks used to learn from. If the check gails, the magician does not learn the trick and cannot attempt to learn it again even if he studies it from another source until he gains another rank in Sleight of Hand. The boxed trick is not used up in this circumstance.
Trick Mastery: A magician can take the special feat Trick Mastery. Each time the magician takes this feat, choose a number of tricks equal to the magician's Intelligence modifier (they must be tricks the magician already knows). From that point on, the magician can prepare these tricks without referring to a portfolio. The magician is so intimately familiar with these tricks that he doesn't need notes to prepare them any more.
Trick Specialisation: A magician can specialise in one school of trickery, allowing the magician one extra trick per day from the selected school and a +2 to Sleight of Hand checks to learn new tricks, at the expense of never being able to manage tricks from one other school, even by means of a boxed trick. The magician must choose whether to specialise and what in at 1st level and may never change that specialisation thereafter.
There are five schools from which a magician may draw his tricks; Illusion, Conjuration, Pyrotechnics, Legerdemain and Confidence. Tricks that do not fall into any of these schools are called universal tricks.
Illusion: Deceptions of form, appearance and effect. Convincing an audience that a statue has disappeared is an example of illusion. Not to be confused with the arcane school of Illusion.
Conjuration: The apparent production of something from nothing. Not to be confused with the arcane school of Conjuration, which actually produces something from nothing, Conjuration tricks merely provide the appearance of producing something from nothing. Pulling a rabbit from a hat is an example of conjuration.
Pyrotechnics: A range of tricks from smoke and mirror deceptions to dangerous explosives, pyrotechnic tricks rely on the science of alchemy and combustion to produce most of their effects.
Legerdemain: Tricks dependent on the hand being faster than the eye, employing misdirection and dexterity to enact minor miracles.
Confidence: Routines designed to win the trust of patrons, depending strongly on the magician's own personal strength of character and charm. All Confidence tricks use Charisma for their save DCs, rather than Dexterity.
For extra fun, if you think this class is worthwhile, I challenge you, the reader, to come up with new tricks. This class is going to need a whole new set of tricks yet, so the best ones will be included in the official trick list. Get tricking!
Sample Trick Concepts:
Flare (Pyro 0)- Bright flash, dazzles one creatre (-1 attack).
Prestidigitation (Pyro 0)- Small flashes, smoke and mirrors and similar effects usable for up to one hour. Adds a +2 to Perform (magic act) checks.
Long Reach (Lege 1)- Can steal a 5lb item 25ft + 5ft/2 levels away, provided nobody is watching it and you at the same time.
Produce Creature I (Conj 1)- Pull a Tiny viper, two Tiny monstrous spiders or a weasel out of a bag, hat or pocket.
Instant Disguise (Illu 1)- Lightning-fast costume and make-up change, adds +10 to disguise checks.
Charm Person (Conf 1)- Makes one person your friend.
Razorblade Trick (Lege 1)- 1 razor blade/level as ranged attack (max 5), deal 1d4+1 damage each. With a successful Sleight of Hand check, can avoid being seen to have thrown them.
Sticky Fire (Pyro 1)- A gobbet of sticky alchemist's fire, hits one target and burns for 2d6 damage, lasts 1 round/level. Material: 125gp of alchemist's fire.
Produce Creature II (Conj 2)- Pull a Small viper, Small monstrous Spider, badger pair of hawks from a bag, hat or coat.
Lege: Manacle Trick, Knife Trick
Knife Trick (Lege 3)- Thrown knife, does 4d6 damage plus any modifiers, 1 knife/4 levels. (Max 10d6).
The Magician - Tricks of the Trade
Abilities: Dexterity is used in a number of the magician's skills and determines how difficult a trick is to save against, whereas Intelligence determines how powerful a trick he can manage and the number of bonus spells he receives. To perform a trick, a magician must have an Intelligence score of 10 + the trick's level. The magician gets bonus tricks based on Dexterity. The difficulty class of a saving throw against a magician's trick is 10 + the trick's level + the magician's Dexterity modifier (except for confidence tricks, which use Cha). Spell resistance is impossible against tricks because they are not actually magic, although most tricks offer a saving throw.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d4
Class Skills: The magician's class skills are Balance, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Disguise, Escape Artist, Forgery, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (all skills, taken indiviually), Listen, Move Silently, Perform, Profession, Open Lock, Ride, Search, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Spot, Swim, Tumble, Use Rope.
Skill points at 1st level: (4 + Int modifier) x4
Skill points at each additional level: 4 + Int modifier
The Magician
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th| 9th
1st|
+0|
+-|
+2|
+0|Trick in a Box, Alchemical Proficiency|3|1
2nd|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+0|-|4|2|-
3rd|
+1|
+1|
+3|
+1|-|4|2|1|-
4th|
+2|
+1|
+4|
+1|-|4|3|2|-|-
5th|
+2|
+1|
+4|
+1|-|4|3|2|1|-|-
6th|
+3|
+2|
+5|
+2|-|4|4|3|2|-|-|-
7th|
+3|
+2|
+5|
+2|-|4|4|3|2|1|-|-|-
8th|
+4|
+2|
+6|
+2|-|4|4|4|3|2|-|-|-|-|-
9th|
+4|
+3|
+6|
+3|-|4|4|4|3|2|1|-|-|-|-
10th|
+5|
+3|
+7|
+3|-|4|4|4|4|3|2|-|-|-|-
11th|
+5|
+3|
+7|
+3|-|4|4|4|4|3|2|1|-|-|-
12th|
+6/+1|
+4|
+8|
+4|-|4|4|4|4|4|3|2|-|-|-
13th|
+6/+1|
+4|
+8|
+4|-|4|4|4|4|4|3|2|1|-|-
14th|
+7/+2|
+4|
+9|
+4|-|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|2|-|-
15th|
+7/+2|
+5|
+9|
+5|-|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|2|1|-
16th|
+8/+3|
+5|
+10|
+5|-|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|2|-
17th|
+8/+3|
+5|
+10|
+5|-|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|2|1
18th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+11|
+6|-|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|2
19th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+11|
+6|-|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|3
20th|
+10/+5|
+6|
+12|
+6|-|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|4[/table]
Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Magicians are proficient with the crossbow (hand or light), dagger (any type), dart, light mace, sap, shortbow (normal and composite) and short sword. Medium sized magicians are additionally proficient with the club, heavy crossbow, heavy mace, morningstar, quarterstaff and rapier. Magicians are proficient with light armour, although armour that would enforce an arcane spell check penalty applies the same penalty to any trick with a somatic component.
Tricks: A magician performs tricks, rather than casting spells. These are mundane effects meant to mimic magic but do not involve any magical components at all. He can manage a cetain number of tricks per day according to his class level before running out of prepared materials or routines. A magician must prepare his tricks ahead of time by getting at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep and spending one hour preparing the various components for his tricks or memorising confidence routines. To prepare or perform a trick, a magician must have an Intelligence score of at least 10 + the trick's level. A magician's bonus tricks are based on Intelligence, although the difficulty to save against a magician's tricks are based on Dexterity (except for Confidence tricks). Magicians may learn any number of tricks.
If a magician is interrupted whilst performing a trick, he must make a Concentration check as a wizard would to continue carrying out the trick. The magician may make a Sleight of Hand check to identify a trick being performed (DC 15 + trick level).
Trick in a Box: The magician may prepare a trick in advance, packaging it in a box for later use. He can create a box with any trick he knows. Preparing a trick takes one day for each 1000gp in its base price. The base price of the box is its trick level x its caster level x 25gp. To prepare a trick, he must spend 1/25 of this base price in XP and use up raw materials costing half this base price. Tricks with costly material components or XP costs require the material component to be used or the XP component paid in the production of the trick.
Alchemical Proficiency: Although magicians are not spellcasters, they are fully proficient in the science of alchemy and can use the skill just as a spellcaster would be able to.
Portfolio: Magicians must use their portfolio when preparing tricks, a small bag, folder or book containing the details for their various tricks. They require no additional props to prepare Legerdemain or Confidence tricks. Conjuration and Illusion tricks require whatever material components are used in the performance of the trick to prepare. Pyrotechnic tricks require access to an alchemist's laboratory (his own or another's). A portable laboratory can be used, costing 500gp and weighing 8lbs, although this laboratory will not provide the usual +2 circumstance bonus to Alchemy checks.
A magician cannot prepare any trick not noted down in his portfolio. A magician begins play with a portfolio containing all 0-level magician tricks plus three 1st level tricks of the player's choice. For each point of Intelligence bonus the magician has, the portfolio holds one additional 1st level trick. Each time the magician achieves a new level, he gains two new tricks of any level or levels that he can cast (according to his new level). If the magician has chosen to specialise, one of the two free tricks must be from the magician's specialty school. The magician can also add tricks found in other magicians' portfolios.
A magician can use a borrowed portfolio to prepare a trick he already knows and has recorded in his own portfolio, but success is not assured. He must make a successful Sleight of Hand check (DC 15 + the spell's level) to determine the right style to perform the trick. If the check succeeds, the magician prepares the trick. He must repeat the check to prepare the trick again, no matter how many times he has prepared the trick before. If the check fails, he cannot try to prepare the trick from the same source again until the next day. Many magicians write their portfolios in code, requiring a successful Decipher Script check against DC 20 + the trick's level to translate.
Magicians can add new tricks to their portfolios through several methods. If he has chosen to specialise in a school of trickery, he can learn tricks only from the schools he can perform. In addition to the free tricks a magician learns at new levels, a magician can add tricks to his portfolio whenever he encounters a new boxed trick or a trick in another magician's portfolio. If the trick is in code he must decipher it as above, after which the magician must make a Sleight of Hand check (DC 15 + the trick's level) to learn it and spend a full day practising. Although actually learning the trick is based on Dexterity, a magician cannot succesfully learn a trick unless he has an Intelligence score equal to 10 + the trick's level. Magicians who have specialised in a school of trickery gains a +2 bonus on his check if the new trick is from his specialty school (but cannot learn any tricks from a prohibited school).
On a successful check, the magician learns the trick and can copy it into his portfolio. The process leaves a portfolio copied from unharmed, but requires the activation (and thus expenditure) of any boxed tricks used to learn from. If the check gails, the magician does not learn the trick and cannot attempt to learn it again even if he studies it from another source until he gains another rank in Sleight of Hand. The boxed trick is not used up in this circumstance.
Trick Mastery: A magician can take the special feat Trick Mastery. Each time the magician takes this feat, choose a number of tricks equal to the magician's Intelligence modifier (they must be tricks the magician already knows). From that point on, the magician can prepare these tricks without referring to a portfolio. The magician is so intimately familiar with these tricks that he doesn't need notes to prepare them any more.
Trick Specialisation: A magician can specialise in one school of trickery, allowing the magician one extra trick per day from the selected school and a +2 to Sleight of Hand checks to learn new tricks, at the expense of never being able to manage tricks from one other school, even by means of a boxed trick. The magician must choose whether to specialise and what in at 1st level and may never change that specialisation thereafter.
There are five schools from which a magician may draw his tricks; Illusion, Conjuration, Pyrotechnics, Legerdemain and Confidence. Tricks that do not fall into any of these schools are called universal tricks.
Illusion: Deceptions of form, appearance and effect. Convincing an audience that a statue has disappeared is an example of illusion. Not to be confused with the arcane school of Illusion.
Conjuration: The apparent production of something from nothing. Not to be confused with the arcane school of Conjuration, which actually produces something from nothing, Conjuration tricks merely provide the appearance of producing something from nothing. Pulling a rabbit from a hat is an example of conjuration.
Pyrotechnics: A range of tricks from smoke and mirror deceptions to dangerous explosives, pyrotechnic tricks rely on the science of alchemy and combustion to produce most of their effects.
Legerdemain: Tricks dependent on the hand being faster than the eye, employing misdirection and dexterity to enact minor miracles.
Confidence: Routines designed to win the trust of patrons, depending strongly on the magician's own personal strength of character and charm. All Confidence tricks use Charisma for their save DCs, rather than Dexterity.
For extra fun, if you think this class is worthwhile, I challenge you, the reader, to come up with new tricks. This class is going to need a whole new set of tricks yet, so the best ones will be included in the official trick list. Get tricking!
Sample Trick Concepts:
Flare (Pyro 0)- Bright flash, dazzles one creatre (-1 attack).
Prestidigitation (Pyro 0)- Small flashes, smoke and mirrors and similar effects usable for up to one hour. Adds a +2 to Perform (magic act) checks.
Long Reach (Lege 1)- Can steal a 5lb item 25ft + 5ft/2 levels away, provided nobody is watching it and you at the same time.
Produce Creature I (Conj 1)- Pull a Tiny viper, two Tiny monstrous spiders or a weasel out of a bag, hat or pocket.
Instant Disguise (Illu 1)- Lightning-fast costume and make-up change, adds +10 to disguise checks.
Charm Person (Conf 1)- Makes one person your friend.
Razorblade Trick (Lege 1)- 1 razor blade/level as ranged attack (max 5), deal 1d4+1 damage each. With a successful Sleight of Hand check, can avoid being seen to have thrown them.
Sticky Fire (Pyro 1)- A gobbet of sticky alchemist's fire, hits one target and burns for 2d6 damage, lasts 1 round/level. Material: 125gp of alchemist's fire.
Produce Creature II (Conj 2)- Pull a Small viper, Small monstrous Spider, badger pair of hawks from a bag, hat or coat.
Lege: Manacle Trick, Knife Trick
Knife Trick (Lege 3)- Thrown knife, does 4d6 damage plus any modifiers, 1 knife/4 levels. (Max 10d6).