Student of the Mystic Arts [Core Class]

[RelentlessImp]

Descriptor:
The Student of the Mystic Arts is someone whom devotes their life to uncovering the secrets of magic, both divine and arcane. (Will add to descrip later)

Hit Die: d4
Alignment: Any.

Fort: Poor. Rigorous studying leaves for little room for physical activity and the bulking up of many other professions.
Reflex: Poor. The amount of time a Student spends studying their spells leaves little to no room for honing one's body.
Will: Good. Being able to channel two types of magic leaves the Student's mind strong.

BAB: Poor

Skills:
The Student's Class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Points: The Student gains 2+INT modifier (x4 at first level) skill points per level.

Student of the Mystic Arts
{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|
+0|
+0|
+1|Scribe Scrolls|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3| |4|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

3rd|
+1|
+1|
+1|
+3| |4|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

4th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4| |4|3|2|-|-

5th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|Bonus Feat|4|3|2|1|-|-

6th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5| |4|3|3|2|-|-|-

7th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5| |4|4|3|2|1|-|-|-

8th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+6||4|4|3|3|2|-|-|-|-|-

9th|
+4|
+3|
+3|
+6||4|4|4|3|2|1|-|-|-|-|-

10th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+7|Bonus Feat|4|4|4|3|3|2|-|-|-|-

11th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+7| |4|4|4|4|3|2|1|-|-|-

12th|
+6/+1|
+4|
+4|
+8| |4|4|4|4|3|3|2|-|-|-

13th|
+6/+1|
+4|
+4|
+8| |4|4|4|4|4|3|2|1|-|-

14th|
+7/+2|
+4|
+4|
+9||4|4|4|4|4|3|3|2|-|-|-

15th|
+7/+2|
+5|
+5|
+9|Bonus Feat|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|2|1|-

16th|
+8/+3|
+5|
+5|
+10| |4|4|4|4|4|4|3|3|2|-

17th|
+8/+3|
+5|
+5|
+10| |4|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|2|1

18th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+6|
+11| |4|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|3|2

19th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+6|
+11| |4|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|3

20th|
+10/+5|
+6|
+6|
+12|Bonus Feat|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|4[/table]

Proficiencies: The Student gains no armor proficiencies, but is proficient with all simple weapons.

Spellcasting Ability: The Student of the Mystic Arts progresses in their acquisition of spells per day as a Wizard. However, to cast spells of either school, they must meet the prerequisites of BOTH INT and WIS requirements to cast those spells; i.e., to cast any Arcane (or Divine) spell of level 5, the Student of the Mystic Arts must have BOTH Intelligence and Wisdom of 15 or higher.

Bonus Spells: The Student of Mystic Arts applies (INT bonus+WIS bonus/2, rounded down) to determine bonus spells per day.

Multiclassing: This class absolutely cannot be multi-classed with a Wizard, Cleric, Druid, or any variation thereof, and cannot be multi-classed with a Prestige Class that grants spells per day and spell levels. This is because the intense mystical generalization leaves them no room to specialize in any one field of magic.

Spells: The Student starts the game knowing all cantrips and 0-level Cleric spells, and 2+INT bonus arcane spells and 2+WIS bonus divine spells. The Student of the Mystic Arts gains 1 Arcane and 1 Divine spell at level-up of the highest spell level they know how to cast. They may, however, add any spell from the Wizard spell list or the Cleric (and ONLY the Cleric for divine spells) spell list to their spellbook at any time, given they have the scroll at hand and appropriate gold.

Spell DCs: To determine DC for the Student's spells, add the INT bonus and WIS bonus together, then divide by 1.5 and round down.

Specialization, Domains, and Spell Schools: The Student of the Mystic Arts may not choose a Specialization as a Wizard may; instead, they are restricted to choosing 5 schools of spells from which they may learn, and they may not learn any spells that fall outside this restriction. This applies to both arcane and divine spells. Also, a Student of the Mystic Arts may not choose any domains, as they do not pray to a deity for their spells, but rather, gain them through rigorous study.

Spell Preparation: The Student of the Mystic Arts prepares their spells as a Wizard does, by studying spells from their spellbook. However, due to the dual nature of their spellcasting ability, they must spend two hours, rather than one, preparing their mind to hold the diverse mystic energy.

Spell Preparation Part Deux: In effect, the Student gains two "sets" of spellcasting slots; one for Arcane and one for Divine. At first level, the Student chooses a spell type to be more skilled in; Arcane or Divine. This choice gains normal spell progression. The unchosen one defaults to a lesser spell progression, which is as a Wizard, -1 level, minimum 1.

Feats: The Student of the Mystic Arts receives Scribe Scroll at level 1. The Student also gains a bonus feat at 5th level, and every five levels after, and may choose either a metamagic feat or spell focus feat (but NOT Greater Spell Focus feats). The Student must meet all minimum requirements for the feat, including caster level minimums.

(Class brought into semi-balance with assistance from Pink and JeggredVon)

Edit: Removed Spell Penetration and Greater Spell Penetration as bonus feats. Too much.

Edit: Spell slots are now shared, few things made clearer. Added Use Magic Device as a class skill.

Edited Again: Spell Progression and dual spellcasting screwed with, will be altered after some playtesting if necessary.

[Arbitrarity]

It's a wizard with divine spells?

Give yourself a hand. Find every domain you can, and make a archivist.

3+int skill points?

And since you use both INT and Wis for bonus spells, if I have something like... an old human with 20 in wis, and 20 in int, I cast 5 lvl 1 spells/day?

Smart of block multiclassing, or you take mystic theurge at level 3, and bam. Double spell progression :smalleek:

Wait, wait, wait. It gets full wizard casting of both types? That wasn't too obvious.

Actually, no. MT advances, at each level, 1 level in the divine casting class, and one in the arcane class. Therefore, it advances this class TWICE.

Anyway, this class is probably better in every way than the standard wizard. It has minor MAD, but the fact that it is BETTER than the wizard in pretty much any way (casts as wizard, has all class features, AND cleric/druid casting) means it's imbalanced.

[RelentlessImp]

It's loosely based off the Archivist class, actually, so I suppose more appropriately it could be called "An Archivist with Wizard spells".

And yes, I know it's weird to give odd-numbered skill points. I do odd things sometimes... for reasons unknown to myself. It'll be changed.

Mystic Theurge still has to obey the rules of the spell progression of the two (or in this case, one) classes that its prereqs require; taking levels of Mystic Theurge wouldn't do anything for this class, really.

I primarily made this as a core class that could do what the Mystic Theurge did, but without the "single stat" combos, such as Wizard/Archivist and Favored Soul/Sorcerer. Most people will likely take a route that just requires a single high stat for spellcasting, but a higher base level to get to it. This way you can start out, and BE, a dual-type spellcaster throughout.

Re-Edit: No, you couldn't. You'd be able to cast 3 level 1 Wizard spells/day and 3 level 1 Cleric spells/day.

Re-Re-Edit: ASsuming level 1. At level 20, you'd be able to cast 6 level 1 Wizard spells/day, 6 level 1 Cleric spells/day, given if both were still 20.

[RelentlessImp]

Adding a reply because multi-editing will just make it look silly. :P

From my understanding, since this is just a single class, Mystic Theurge would only be able to advance the class itself, meaning it would advance once.

And it's missing quite a few features of the Wizard; the bonus feats can't be item creation, there's no familiar. And... I forgot to put a restriction in. They can *only* choose their divine spells, and add from scrolls, from the Cleric's list.

Plus, there's the spell school restriction, which at first glance doesn't seem all that huge a deal, but it applies to both the arcane *and* divine spells they can learn.

Edit: Plus, there's no domain spells.

Edit Part Deux: Or Turn Undead. Or anything that the Cleric gets besides spellcasting. And for that matter, other than Scribe Scroll and the (limited) bonus feats, nothing that the Wizard gets, other than spellcasting.

[Arbitrarity]

Whoops, missed the specialization equivalent.
5 schools... nasty. SOrry I missed that, that really balances things better. So you might have, say, abjuration, divination, conjuration, necromancy, transmutation, barred enchantment, illusion, evocation? Ahhh. There we go.

Familiar is worthless, relatively, and turn undead is highly situational. Lack of domains hurts, but minorly, and the rest of what the cleric gets is incrementally better BAB, saves, and HD. Wow. Not being able to choose crafting feats really isn't too much of a problem.

See, the issue appears to be that you loose a bunch of minor class features, and gain dual spellcasting.

[RelentlessImp]

There is also the requirement of having to have both base casting stats to cast any spells at all. Coupled with the 5-school limitation, lack of domains, no familiar, no Turn Undead.

Perhaps I should limit the bonus feats to Spell Focus feats? Or remove bonus feats altogether.

If this seems overpowering, thoughts on how to bring it fully into balance would be appreciated. Though I'd like to keep the dual spellcasting on the class, it can be chucked to shared slots (though slots given increased slightly).

[Reinboom]

Does this class have two spell slot sections, one for each half then? That's a lot of bookkeeping on the player's part and a lot of spells to drain through. If this is so, then restrict it down to sharing the same spell slots.

What's the DCs of this classes spells?

The bonus feats, also, is not what makes a wizard insanely powerful, it's the spells (of course). The versatility far outshines the feat selection. At least, you made this so it can't do any insane prestige classing.

[Arbitrarity]

The double base casting stats means little to nothing. By the time you can cast 6'th level spells, when it might become a problem, headbands and periapts are available. And no full caster doesn't put their max stats in casting stats.

If you just put in shared slots, it would be pretty balanced. Right now it's like a wizard and a cleric in one, missing a couple of minor (relatively) abilities, but missing 3 schools.

The three missing schools is actually a pretty major balancing factor. I just can't tell how much. Have you tried the WoTC boards?

Part of it is, what balances the mystic theurge is the loss of 3 levels, which this doesn't have. Whatever this gets should balance the loss of one or two levels (Because mystic theurge is underpowered). So is turn undead, a familiar, three spell schools, not full acess to cleric spell list immediately, no domain spells or abilities, and a couple of lower level spell slots worth two spellcasting levels and a few bonus feats?

Actually, as it is, it might be sort-of balanced. I'm gonna say a shared pool of spells, with bonus spells for both ability scores.

And I bet the DC's are INT based for arcane, WIS for divine.

Lack of PrC's hurts for the super optimizer, as IOTSOV and so forth really break things.

[DracoDei]

I very much agree on the shared slots. They already get double bonus slots, so increasing the actual numbers shouldn't be necessary.

[RelentlessImp]

Reworked the spell slots, added in DC information. Better in balance now?

[Diarmuid]

My only question is why are the DC's based off dividing the combined stat bonus by 1.5 and not 2 like you have for the bonus spells?

Also, when choosing their domains/schools...does this choice impact which spell completion/trigger items they can use?