Teachers and their Craft

[AlanBruce]

Greetings! I'm running a 3.5 game where the party will eventually reach a big city after a nautical arc.

The party's conjurer has heard of a school in said city that is the pinnacle of arcane teaching and so, he wishes to enroll and retrain, taking some levels in Mage of the Arcane Order.

I have an idea of what the school will be like, such as its size, number of students, campus design, etc. I even have the eight heads of Magic according to school somewhat sketched out, but when it comes to builds, I am a tad stumped, since I usually build sorcerers, not wizards.

These are the eight main teachers that oversee each school of magic. Other teachers exist, of course, but of a lower level, since the main heads of magic cannot attend the sheer number of young apprentices.

Human conjurer5/mage of the arcane order7/master specialist3/archmage5, former headmaster of Conjuration. Now, he's the Dean.

Grey Elf necromancer

Aasimar sorceress, focused on Enchantment

Gnome Illusionist

Human Abjurer

Halfling Diviner

Human Evoker 3/Master specialist 10/Force Missile Mage 3, headmaster of Evocation

Dwarf Transmuter

The builds were made on the fly and are subject to change. I would like the Dean to be of ahigher level than the other headmasters and perhaps have each possess at least 1 level in MotAO, but if you have better ideas for builds, that would be much appreciated.

The party mage should be 15th level by the time he applies to the school.

Thank you very much in advance.

[Honest Tiefling]

I'm no good at builds, but I would cook up some non-head masters who teach the first years to give yourself some breathing space should you require it before you have them built. If those are not as good, well, that's why they are stuck teaching the first years!

[Duke of Urrel]

One of the salient differences between sorcerers and wizards is that the latter rely on Intelligence, so that they are likely to have many more skill points than sorcerers. Since your wizards are teachers, perhaps each one of them specializes in some field of Knowledge skill.

You surely want to give some thought to the wizard's alignments. Do they get along cordially with each other, or are there serious, possibly deadly rivalries? Are you planning adventure hooks here?

Once you have a clear idea what your NPC wizards are for and what roles you would like them to play, I think you will find it much easier to build them. It may not be necessary to know every last detail for every wizard, right down to their familiar's names and the specific magical traps they use to protect their spell books. It all depends on how you expect to use them.

[AlanBruce]

You surely want to give some thought to the wizard's alignments. Do they get along cordially with each other, or are there serious, possibly deadly rivalries? Are you planning adventure hooks here?


I certainly have. I wrote down small notes regarding each teacher and what their role is in the school, as well as their personality and alignment. I have avoided evil alignments, so as to not conflict so much. That isn't to say that the many neutral teachers of several schools may have different ideas as to how approach a situation, which could lead to students of each school of magic at uneasy odds with each other.

And yes, I do have plot hooks for most of the teachers/schools within this academy.

[Azoth]

Human Abjurer3/Cleric1/Master Specialist5/Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil7/Arjurant Champion3

Flaw: Combat Casting
Flaw: Spell Focus
Human: Skill Focus (spellcraft)
1st: Greater Spell Focus
3rd: Practiced Spellcaster (cleric)
6th: Divine Defiance
9th:
12th:
15th:
18th:

Main reason for the cleric dip and practiced spellcaster was for Divine Defiance. Burn a TU attempt and counterspell as if you had readied an action to do so as an immediate action.

That coupled with Initiate of the sevenfold viel and abjurant champion means you don't die.

[AlanBruce]

Human Abjurer3/Cleric1/Master Specialist5/Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil7/Arjurant Champion3

Flaw: Combat Casting
Flaw: Spell Focus
Human: Skill Focus (spellcraft)
1st: Greater Spell Focus
3rd: Practiced Spellcaster (cleric)
6th: Divine Defiance
9th:
12th:
15th:
18th:

Main reason for the cleric dip and practiced spellcaster was for Divine Defiance. Burn a TU attempt and counterspell as if you had readied an action to do so as an immediate action.

That coupled with Initiate of the sevenfold viel and abjurant champion means you don't die.

Thank you so much! That is the kind of diversity I was looking for. I could have made each a specialist or focused specialist and leave it at that, but this makes it a lot more interesting.

The main thing about this school is that it used to be 'wizards only', but centuries have gone by and any and all arcanists are welcome (provided they pay a fee, of course). So, it wouldn't be too hard to find bards, theurges, sorcerers, wu jens, warmages, sorcerers, and of course, wizards forming either cliques or working together.

[Azoth]

Whoops. Forgot Master Specialist gives skill focus (spell craft) and Greater spell focus as bonus feats. So that actually frees up two of your 1st level feats.

[Spore]

Just pitching in an idea rather than a build (because I suck at 3.5): The Necromancer should be some kind of deathless or undead (to extend his lifespan and to unravel more magical mysteries) but entirely accepted and/or feared. Some kind of Snape meets Xykon.

[AlanBruce]

Whoops. Forgot Master Specialist gives skill focus (spell craft) and Greater spell focus as bonus feats. So that actually frees up two of your 1st level feats.

You are right. Noticed that while building him. Made his entry that much easier.


Just pitching in an idea rather than a build (because I suck at 3.5): The Necromancer should be some kind of deathless or undead (to extend his lifespan and to unravel more magical mysteries) but entirely accepted and/or feared. Some kind of Snape meets Xykon.


That is a very good idea, actually. I had intended the head of necromancy to revere Wee Jas, so as to not invade the school with an army of undead, but actually teaching other paths of necromancy.

It is odd that while looking at some sample builds for wizards, like the abjurer and necromancer, many handbooks suggest some rebuke/turn class feature, so a few of them inevitably must have at least 1 level of cleric, despite it being a 'wizard' school.

[Sian]

The Diviner would probably be some variant of

Halfling Diviner 3 / Master Specialist 6 / Divine Orcale 3 / Unseen Seer 6

Small very wringled pervert that loves scrying at the dorms :smallbiggrin: Happosai basicly

[Azoth]

Grey Elf Wizard6/Walker in the Waste10/Pale Master4

Flaw: Arcane Disciple (Sand Domain)
Flaw: Alternate Spell Source
1st: Skill Focus (Knowledge(Religion))
3rd: Corpse Crafter
6th: Heat Endurance
9th: Fell Animate
12th:
15th:
18th:

He works with any nongood alignment. He is also a dry litch with the ability to create sand golemns and mummies. There is also the raise dead SLA 1/day. If made angry all he has to do is stop suppessing an aura and he has a 100ft personal desert instantly.

You can also have him spellstitch himself with a few useful spells to a necromancer of your choice. Feel free to use the cooperative rules to stitch divine spells into him like dessecrate.

[AlanBruce]

Grey Elf Wizard6/Walker in the Waste10/Pale Master4

Flaw: Arcane Disciple (Sand Domain)
Flaw: Alternate Spell Source
1st: Skill Focus (Knowledge(Religion))
3rd: Corpse Crafter
6th: Heat Endurance
9th: Fell Animate
12th:
15th:
18th:

This is a far better build than the one I was tinkering with: Necromancer3/cleric1/Master of Shrouds 1/Tainted Scholar 10/Pale Master 5

The party had a dry lich antagonist years ago, when they were still 8th level, so meeting another dry lich who actually controls her powers and does not turn an entire area into a desert and raise salt mummies at a whim should create an interesting RP opportunity for the party mage (since I doubt the others will join him in the school, running their own errands and sidequests in the city.)


The Diviner would probably be some variant of

Halfling Diviner 3 / Master Specialist 6 / Divine Orcale 3 / Unseen Seer 6


I love that build, but then someone suggested this one: Cleric 1/ Spelllthief 1/ Diviner 5/ Unseen Seer 10/ Divine Oracle 2.

I will most likely use both builds and reduce one levewise, since there can only be 1 head master per school of magic.

I had this build for the illusionist as well, being a female gnome, I read about the infamous Killer Gnome, so it went something like this: Illusionist 5/Shadowcrafter7/Shadowcraft Mage 5

[Sian]

I think your Enhancement Sorcerer would be better off taking Beguiler instead :smallwink:

Transmuter would certainly grab some Runesmith levels and be quite Gishy, maybe some Eldritch Knight?

[AlanBruce]

How did Beguiler elude my initial ideas? Granted, they focus mainly on illusion and enchantment, but it can work really well. Thank you for that brilliant suggestion.

I had intended the transmuter to have some war weaver levels, but this gish build is rather attractive.

[Azoth]

Assimar sorceress6/Wild Soul2/Mindbender1/Wild Soul+8/Nightmare Spinner(using the suggestion to adapt it for Enchanters in the book)3.

Flaw:Tattoo Focus
Flaw:SpellFocus
1st: Greater Spell Focus
3rd: Shadow Weave Magic
6th:
9th: Mind Sight
12th:
15th:
18th:

This teacher sports massive bonuses to the saves of her spells. She can read minds of those around her easily. As well as a few unorthodox tricks.

[Rubik]

I think your Enhancement Sorcerer would be better off taking Beguiler instead :smallwink:This. Why would anyone hire a sorcerer as a teacher in a wizard's school?

[AlanBruce]

This. Why would anyone hire a sorcerer as a teacher in a wizard's school?

Good question! The story behind this school is that it used to hire wizards and accept wizards as students only. They were very strict about it- no spontaneous casters of any kind, or any learned caster that wasn't a wizard (like the wu jen), or even theurges.

However, that was 500 years ago, when the school was founded. Decades and centuries later, the school's view on the arcane has become somewhat more flexible. Yes, the majority of the student body is made of wizards, as are the teachers, but with the advent of new ways to manifest magic (warmages, beguilers, dread necromancers, bards), the current Dean has decided to open the gates and allow such casters to apply, hoping that they will find inspiration in the learned arts of the arcane during their stay.

This creates an interesting social experiment within campus: How do scholarly types interact with spontaneous casters? Is there a rivalry? Do some groups form kindred bonds with their non book keeping peers?

As for the teachers, particularly the sorceress in charge of Enchantment, I have always viewed it as the school that requires the most charisma out of all eight, since the most basic enchantments, like Charm Person, require a certain degree of Charisma to be 100% effective.

By placing a spontaneous caster in charge of an entire School of magic in a wizard's academy, I create inner political and magocratic conflicts- is she shunned by the Academy, or does she weave her way into their minds and gain their favor?

[Rubik]

Good question! The story behind this school is that it used to hire wizards and accept wizards as students only. They were very strict about it- no spontaneous casters of any kind, or any learned caster that wasn't a wizard (like the wu jen), or even theurges.

However, that was 500 years ago, when the school was founded. Decades and centuries later, the school's view on the arcane has become somewhat more flexible. Yes, the majority of the student body is made of wizards, as are the teachers, but with the advent of new ways to manifest magic (warmages, beguilers, dread necromancers, bards), the current Dean has decided to open the gates and allow such casters to apply, hoping that they will find inspiration in the learned arts of the arcane during their stay.

This creates an interesting social experiment within campus: How do scholarly types interact with spontaneous casters? Is there a rivalry? Do some groups form kindred bonds with their non book keeping peers?

As for the teachers, particularly the sorceress in charge of Enchantment, I have always viewed it as the school that requires the most charisma out of all eight, since the most basic enchantments, like Charm Person, require a certain degree of Charisma to be 100% effective.

By placing a spontaneous caster in charge of an entire School of magic in a wizard's academy, I create inner political and magocratic conflicts- is she shunned by the Academy, or does she weave her way into their minds and gain their favor?But having a sorcerer as a teacher makes no sense, on any level. She can't teach her students, since she doesn't cast the way they do. The best she can do is pass on theoretical teachings, but she can't actually teach them how to cast spells.

Heck, she can't even teach other sorcerers, since they all pick up their spells through natural talent.

[AlanBruce]

A sorcerer with enough int (in this case, 16), and who has access to vast tomes written by learned scholars on the subject of Enchantment, could, in theory, dictate a class on the history of Enchantment and its basic applications.

This, coupled with her natural talent as a sorceress, could help those students understand the principles of said School of magic.

In the end, she is the Headmistress of Enchantment. There are many other lower ranking specialists and beguilers that can attend to every day lessons.

[Azoth]

Dwarf Fighter1/Transmuter5/Runesmith5/Warweaver5/Swiftblade3/Spellsword1.

Required Feats: Dodge, Mobility

Recommended Feat: Arcane Disciplie (War), Practiced Spellcaster

This guy gets a permanent rune of any spell he can cast as 2/day SLA, can put any spell he casts into a rune useable by anyone, casts in fullplate, buffs with the best of them thanks to the weave.

He gishes it up nicely thanks to having access to the War Domain. This gives him Divine Power as a 4th level spell turning his BAB to 20. Swiftblade gives him free action casting of Haste and a 20% miss chance just for having it active.

This means on the first round of combat every body within close range of him recieves haste, divine power, and three more buffs of his choice before he uses a standard action.

Just don't ban evocation otherwise you lose Divine Power and his gish status.


OR

Dwarf Transmuter6/Swiftblade6/Dragon Slayer1/Warweaver5/Runesmith2

This version is a bit more of a Gish in nature and due to the extra 3 levels in swiftblade gains significantly more battle prowess.

You need Militia, which can be retrained away, to enter swiftblade at 6. Dodge+Mobility to enter swiftblade. Then you need to also pick up Iron Will (O-Hole 3k) for Dragon slayer.

He still buffs like a beast and can make runes like the one before. He loses the 2/day SLA but gains better benefits from the swiftblade levels IMHO.

I also recommend Practiced Spelcaster and Arcane Disciple (War) for this build.

[AlanBruce]

Thank you very much for these amazing builds and ideas!

I had pictured them as powerful, but not this powerful. However, it makes sense if they are in charge of one of the most prestigious School of Magic in my campaign.

Now I just feel like my church leaders are piddly pawns next to these guys.

[Azoth]

No problem. It was fun to slap these together. I am just proud I avoided using Incantrix in any of the builds.

I am also glad I got that transmuter done with a dwarf feel to him and satisfied your desire for war weaver and a gish in there.

If you want some help with any of your church leaders to put them on par with these guys I would be glad to help you knock them out.