3.P Are there any options for playing a magical painter?

[Da Beast]

I'm looking for classes, archtypes, PrCs, feats, whatevers to let me play a character with magical painting abilities. I know that marvelous pigments exist but I want to go a bit further with the concept than a single magic item. Outside of that the best I can think of is a refluffed geometer, but I was hoping for something more like sorcerer or bard than wizard. I'm more or less looking to recreate Zeri from Dawngate (if anyone here was lucky enough to play it before EA pulled the plug).

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/dawngate/images/0/02/Zeri.png/revision/latest?cb=20130730190120

[Grod_The_Giant]

How about a Shadowcraft Mage, with their whole "illusions are real" schtick?

[ATHATH]

Spell Themantics (Painting) seems like it would be perfect for you.

[Afgncaap5]

Spell Themantics (Painting) seems like it would be perfect for you.

Combine that with the Magecraft spell from Eberron and the good old fashioned Skill Focus (Craft (Painting)) would be perfect if you want to be a supernaturally (and naturally) good painter in addition to painting magically.

If Pathfinder material is allowed... and if 3rd party stuff is allowed... you might also be able to use Spheres of Power to create a custom magic background with the Skilled Casting drawback (taking either a Craft or Perform or Profession check that relates to painting) and maybe even the Focus Casting drawback (for a brush and palette). Maybe even Material Casting (magical paints) to represent the specialized care and purchases needed to get just the right colors and magical effects.

[Flickerdart]

Binders work pretty well for this - you draw something, and then magic! You can also fluff wizards as "painting" spells into their books.

A couple of metamagic components (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/magic/metamagicComponents.htm) involve paint in various capacity.

[Forrestfire]

Spell Themantics (Painting) seems like it would be perfect for you.

You don't even need that; the Dungeon Master's Guide's got you covered:



Describing Spell Effects
Magic is flashy. When characters cast spells or use magic items, you should describe what the spell looks, sounds, smells, or feels like as well as its game effects.

A magic missile could be a dagger-shaped burst of energy that flies through the air. It also could be a fistlike creation of force that bashes into its target or the sudden appearance of a demonic head that spits a blast of energy. When someone becomes invisible, he or she fades away. A summoned fiend appears with a flash of blood-red energy and a smell of brimstone. Other spells have more obvious visual effects. A fireball and a lightning bolt, for example, appear pretty much the way they are described in the Player’s Handbook. For dramatic flair, however, you could describe the lightning bolt as being a thin arc of blue lightning and the fireball as a blast of green fire with red twinkling bursts within it.

You can let players describe the spells that their characters cast. Don’t, however, allow a player to use an original description that makes a spell seem more powerful than it is. A fireball spell that creates an illusion of a dragon breathing flames goes too far. Spells without obvious visual effects can be described as well. Since a target who makes his saving throw against a spell knows that something happened to him, you could describe a charm spell or a compulsion spell as a cold claw threatening to enclose his mind that he manages to shake off. (If the spell worked, the target would not be aware of such an effect, for his mind would not be entirely his own.)

Sound can be a powerful descriptive force. You could say that a lightning bolt is accompanied by a clap of thunder. A cone of cold sounds like a rush of wind followed by a tinkling of crystalline ice.

[Afgncaap5]

You don't even need that; the Dungeon Master's Guide's got you covered:

I've gotta say that this is one of my favorite clauses in the DMG ever. One DM let me use that clause to allow my first Necromancer to not only specialize in Necromantic magic, but to have all other spells actually be linked to necromancy. Animate Rope had me trapping a poltergeist within an object to make it move easily, my phantom steed truly *was* a Phantom steed, and my Fireball was a caused by reclaiming the energy from the moment I accidentally killed a friend with a cannon exploding. R.I.P., Ovius.

[stack]

The radiance house occultist (3pp) has a spirit it can bind that is a painter. Gives illusion powers.

Spheres of power (also 3pp) has the skilled casting drawback, requiring a skill check whenever you cast. Failure reduces CL and craft, profession, and perform skills are options.

[nedz]

I'm going to second the illusionist thing.

Sorcerer works pretty well - you have enough spells known to pick up the important stuff and it has the right feel.

A Wizard would work, but I see them more like an Art Critic or Art Historian.

A Bard is OK - but they're more aimed at performance art.

A Beguiler might work, but they are actually missing too many illusion spells for their Advanced Learning to pick up the slack, also they are better as an Art Thief.

[Arbane]

The radiance house occultist (3pp) has a spirit it can bind that is a painter. Gives illusion powers.


This one? (http://alharadnd.wikidot.com/muse-istago) At higher levels it does some really impressive stuff, like Simulacrum.

[Maxrim]

I'm not familiar with the character you're trying to emulate, but if you want a little less traditional magic, the Shattered Mirror discipline from DSP's Path of War Expanded has Craft (Painting [or one of a couple other craft skills]) as its associated skill.
Using it, you paint illusions and spacial magic into the battlefield around you to augment your combat.

[Stoic]

As long as you are taking painting the following might be useful.


Tattoo Magic (Feat) from Lords of Darkness has a prerequisite of one rank of Craft (painting) or Craft (calligraphy).

You paint single-use spells of 3rd level or lower onto your body that targets a creature(s); touch the tattoo to activate.


And Create Magic Tattoo (Spell) from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book has a prerequisite of one rank of either Craft (drawing), Craft (painting), Craft (calligraphy), or a similar Craft skill.

Creates a tattoo that gives you a buff (there is a list that you choose from); you can have up to three of this spell on yourself, choose a different buff each time.


I hope that helps.

[Afgncaap5]

One other thing that *might* be worth mentioning is the Virtuoso prestige class, which has fluff specifically gearing it toward performance-granting illusionists. So, the class sort of assumes that any illusions made by class members are meant to be works of art, but this is more the kind of thing that you build toward if you're working with illusionist magic anyway; if you don't go illusionist, I'd ignore this one.

Though that does remind me, don't elves with the Mark of Shadow in Eberron use their shadows and illusions to create a monopoly on the business of Entertainment and performances? Which is, since it's Eberron, just a cover for their monopoly on the business of Espionage and assassinations? They might have some custom magic items that'd be useful along those lines.

[Fizban]

Ranging further afield into homebrew, I remember a few attempts to make sketching/other art based classes, but I found them too weak and restrictive. Kellus's Thought Artist (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?70413-The-Thought-Artist-Base-Class-PEACH) on the other hand is "summon whatever you can imagine (and build with these mechanics) at-will-period." It doesn't do anything other than creatures though, and it can take a while to wrap yourself around what it's capable of (as always you'll want to build example creatures at various levels before jumping to conclusions). And it's old enough that the tables are busted, not too bad. Never actually used it any capacity of course, probably not what you're looking for but it's more unique than wizard+spell thematics.

[Da Beast]

I'm not familiar with the character you're trying to emulate, but if you want a little less traditional magic, the Shattered Mirror discipline from DSP's Path of War Expanded has Craft (Painting [or one of a couple other craft skills]) as its associated skill.
Using it, you paint illusions and spacial magic into the battlefield around you to augment your combat.

Is this going to be in the PFSRD? After looking around I think a refluffed occultist could work for this, but I'm always interested on initiator options.

[Maxrim]

Hey, I'm ~a week late in replying, but yeah, I believe that PoW: Ex stuff will be up on the d20pfsrd when it's done. For now there's here: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?444869-Dreamscarred-Press-Path-of-War-Expanded!-(Thread-VII)