[Spheres of Power] Need help to build air-themed mage

[Awertum]

Hello everyone! My DM is using Spheres of Power for incoming campaign so I decide to build and air/wind-themed mage (also want to exclude anything electricity related). I'm saying "mage", because i don't like "wind warrior"/"electrokinetic" archetypes of elementalist and all wind and air-related SoP magic talents seems not very powerful or do anything cool from the start. I mean, yeah, Whether sphere looks like it can kick everyone's asses by level 6 or 8, but we start at level 1. Also my character have ability to fly with custom race so gaining flying from magic not really a priority. My DM is open to all suggestions for SoP and beyond as long as it keeps with character theme.

[ArendK]

I'm still getting up to speed on the Spheres of Power system, so my mastery/command over it is a little rough. But if you're avoiding electricity, but want a "sky mage" style character. Here's my thoughts and recommendations as far as powers (the only class I'm really into is the Incanter(sp?), and I'm only really familiar with the base book.

Refluffing is your friend here. The Time and Warp Spheres? Refluff it as the wind is blowing with them/against them to change their speed or teleporting is dissolving into a mini-storm or blown among some leaves/dirt/whatever's handy to your location. Mechanically, nothings changed. Destruction domain I know has a few bludgeoning based damage things that could reflect using high force winds throwing something at somebody. Or winds that feel like they are stripping flesh from bone (Kansas with heavy winds in the winter), find a way to get slashing or cold damage on your blasts; I know they exist, just can't remember their names.

[A.J.Gibson]

Hello everyone! My DM is using Spheres of Power for incoming campaign so I decide to build and air/wind-themed mage (also want to exclude anything electricity related). I'm saying "mage", because i don't like "wind warrior"/"electrokinetic" archetypes of elementalist and all wind and air-related SoP magic talents seems not very powerful or do anything cool from the start. I mean, yeah, Whether sphere looks like it can kick everyone's asses by level 6 or 8, but we start at level 1. Also my character have ability to fly with custom race so gaining flying from magic not really a priority. My DM is open to all suggestions for SoP and beyond as long as it keeps with character theme.

Well, air blast (destruction) and some weather abilities do make sense, and maybe alteration (air elemental), but I think to get the most out of the air mage idea, you need to use telekinesis sphere, with a custom drawback. Something like this:

Aerokinesis - Your telekinesis does not work with force, but through the movement of air. Your telekinesis does not work where there is not air (such as underwater), and strong winds naturally dispel and are dispelled by your power when they come in contact, with each 5mph resulting in a +1 to MSB and MSD.

[Awertum]

Aerokinesis - Your telekinesis does not work with force, but through the movement of air. Your telekinesis does not work where there is not air (such as underwater), and strong winds naturally dispel and are dispelled by your power when they come in contact, with each 5mph resulting in a +1 to MSB and MSD.
Oh, I like idea! However if I understand that drawback correctly it should not give me any bonus talent, because that +1 bonus for every 5mph can up MSB/MSD to very high levels. Maybe something that uses severity levels from Weather sphere? Like +1 per severity level above 1? Anyway gonna discuss that idea with my DM, thx!


Refluffing is your friend here. The Time and Warp Spheres? Refluff it as the wind is blowing with them/against them to change their speed or teleporting is dissolving into a mini-storm or blown among some leaves/dirt/whatever's handy to your location. Mechanically, nothings changed. Destruction domain I know has a few bludgeoning based damage things that could reflect using high force winds throwing something at somebody. Or winds that feel like they are stripping flesh from bone (Kansas with heavy winds in the winter), find a way to get slashing or cold damage on your blasts; I know they exist, just can't remember their names.
I looked at Incanter abilities and it seems like Weather specialization can work for my character with a little modifications. For Time and Warp spheres i'm not so sure. They have interesting effects, but I want more 'physical' sense of power of wind, like blowing people away with gusts of wind.

[Waddacku]

Weather (focused weather drawback, obviously), Destruction (energy focus drawback) (air blast type group gives the effects you want, plenty of shapes to play with), Protection (shielding things with wind and condensed air), Telekinesis (as mentioned upthread), maybe Illusion (bending light via air), Conjuration (bird companion?), Alteration (turn into an air elemental).

Incanter seems the obvious choice. Weather specialization is good, Destruction specialization might fit, too. There are probably attractive things in the available domains, bloodlines, energy channeling, and Admixture Adept options, too. Or just get some bonus feats.

[Aipaca]

I actually built something similar very recently. The Sphere Oracle archetype, with the Wind revelation and a not too impactful curse (I like Covetous) and some destruction and telekinesis talents makes for a strong base :smallsmile:

[A.J.Gibson]

Oh, I like idea! However if I understand that drawback correctly it should not give me any bonus talent, because that +1 bonus for every 5mph can up MSB/MSD to very high levels. Maybe something that uses severity levels from Weather sphere? Like +1 per severity level above 1? Anyway gonna discuss that idea with my DM, thx!


Hmmm...I'd probably just drop that small advantage and make it a drawback that grants a talent, now that I think about it.

[Awertum]

Weather (focused weather drawback, obviously), Destruction (energy focus drawback) (air blast type group gives the effects you want, plenty of shapes to play with), Protection (shielding things with wind and condensed air), Telekinesis (as mentioned upthread), maybe Illusion (bending light via air), Conjuration (bird companion?), Alteration (turn into an air elemental).

Incanter seems the obvious choice. Weather specialization is good, Destruction specialization might fit, too. There are probably attractive things in the available domains, bloodlines, energy channeling, and Admixture Adept options, too. Or just get some bonus feats.
Great ideas for selecting spheres. I was thought about Incanter, but now I'm actually thinking about Hedgewitch with custom made tradition called Aeromancy or something similiar.

Aeromancy
Class Skills: Knowledge (Nature), Perception, Survival

Tradition Benefit
You gain Telekinesis and Weather spheres as bonus talents, but also take drawbacks Limited Telekinesis (Aerokinesis) and Focused Weather (Wind) without gaining bonus magic talents. As long as you have these drawbacks threat your class level as your caster level for those spheres.

Tradition Power
At 1st level choose one magic talent not from Telekinesis or Weather Sphere that you already possess. You can threat you class level as your caster level if you use this talent while surrounded by strong winds (severity level 3 or higher). At 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter you can choose one additional talent to take this benefit.

Dunno about the rest — no ideas for secrets or Tradition Mastery.


I actually built something similar very recently. The Sphere Oracle archetype, with the Wind revelation and a not too impactful curse (I like Covetous) and some destruction and telekinesis talents makes for a strong base :smallsmile:

I was thinking about wind mystery, but there is many abilities that duplicate what you can do with magic talents and some of them electricity based. However i never considered curses so i looked up for some of them and found that Haunted can be easily refluffed as strong uncontrolled winds around character.


Hmmm...I'd probably just drop that small advantage and make it a drawback that grants a talent, now that I think about it.
Yeah, that what my DM suggested as well :)

[A.J.Gibson]

An archetype might work better than a tradition:

Aeromancer (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-q2G5QiWXgHrK3Zlm9kvTB8JHXHIyqntKwUJQc07Nxk/edit?usp=sharing)

[Afgncaap5]

Also, if your GM is cool with it, I recommend looking into Spellcraft. Spells are supposed to be mysterious or flavorful, and they're a good opportunity for places where you can say "My mage uses Wind to do X" instead of "I use X through controlling the wind."

Case in point: divination and fate could be combined through a spell that lets your caster spend some time using wind chimes as a focus and staring at the way the air is playing in the immediate area to get insight on the way things are going, and to ask the fair winds to stay with you and your party, granting them a benefit similar to the Bless talent and giving yourself insight about the future.

[The Vagabond]

For drawbacks, I keep on seeing a call for a coustom one. Just use Material casting (air) with DM permission.

[Mithril Leaf]

If you're going to be taking the weather sphere pretty strongly, may I recommend a level of Sorcerer for the Arial Bloodline (http://archivesofnethys.com/WildbloodedDisplay.aspx?FixedName=Arial)?

[Awertum]

An archetype might work better than a tradition: <link>
Wow! Great work! I will probably use this archetype for my character.


Also, if your GM is cool with it, I recommend looking into Spellcraft. Spells are supposed to be mysterious or flavorful, and they're a good opportunity for places where you can say "My mage uses Wind to do X" instead of "I use X through controlling the wind."

Case in point: divination and fate could be combined through a spell that lets your caster spend some time using wind chimes as a focus and staring at the way the air is playing in the immediate area to get insight on the way things are going, and to ask the fair winds to stay with you and your party, granting them a benefit similar to the Bless talent and giving yourself insight about the future.
Great idea too. I'm not very familiar with Spellcrafting. I read the rules, but still want to ask: do I need know all talents and spheres + spellcrafting feat to create 1 spell? Or i need only some talents (that works as base for spell) + spellcrafting feat to do one?


For drawbacks, I keep on seeing a call for a coustom one. Just use Material casting (air) with DM permission.
I don't think that will work. Drawbacks section states, that "player shouldn’t be allowed to take this drawback, only to counter it with a one-time purchase of a 5 gp component pouch". Air is everywhere in incoming campaign, so that not a drawback at all.


If you're going to be taking the weather sphere pretty strongly, may I recommend a level of Sorcerer for the Arial Bloodline?
Looked all sorcerer's bloodlines and forgot about cross-blooded ones. Thanks!

As I almost set to do a hedgewitch, can someone recommend me talents for Telekinesis sphere? I want to use it as my main sphere, but it looks massive and i'm not sure how to use it effective at low-levels when talents a few.

[Afgncaap5]

Great idea too. I'm not very familiar with Spellcrafting. I read the rules, but still want to ask: do I need know all talents and spheres + spellcrafting feat to create 1 spell? Or i need only some talents (that works as base for spell) + spellcrafting feat to do one?

Sadly, you do generally need all the talents and spheres (though I think I heard it said that you don't need the Spellcrafting feat to make a spell if everything comes from the same sphere; I'm not sure where that's written, but I might've missed it.)

Having said that, though: you can cast spells in spellbooks without having all of the prerequisite talents, but it'll cost you an extra spell point for each prerequisite you don't meet. It's not ideal, but I think you can basically use raw magical power to get through the lack of a sphere here or there.

[stack]

Sadly, you do generally need all the talents and spheres (though I think I heard it said that you don't need the Spellcrafting feat to make a spell if everything comes from the same sphere; I'm not sure where that's written, but I might've missed it.)


I was sure it was all stated in the spellcrafting section, but either I am blind tonight or the need for the spellcrafting feat for blending different spheres (and by omision not needing it for single-sphere spells) comes from the text of the spellcrafting feat itself.