[3.5 Base Class] Magus [PEACH]

**finalepic** · 2010-03-06, 05:13 PM (ISO 8601)

Okay, this class is odd. I cooked it up in about an hour on a random flash of inspiration, and liked it enough that I thought it would be the first I posted onto GitP for some improvement. I've got a terrible eye for balance, so I'd love for you all to break it to bits, so I can try and improve it that way. In any case, here goes.

The Magus

Magi are thoroughly interesting people with a terrifyingly unique method of casting. Generally born to a powerful wizard and a powerful sorcerer, most never actually fully realize their powers. Rather, they go think and act like a somewhat limited sorcerer, never realizing that they have the potential to be nearly as versatile as a wizard. Most often those who do realize their powers find sorcerous magic manifesting itself while training to be a wizard, and explore the two different kind of magics simultaneously, developing their art into the art of the magus.

The magic the magi weave is not all fun and games, however. It is an entirely unnatural entity, marking those who wield it as blasphemers against the universal order of things. In the eyes of the universe, apparently, there is a difference between telling physics to shut up and sit down and breeding magic users. Who knew?

Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d4.

Class Skills: The magus's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).
Skill Points: 2 + Int modifier (x4 at first level)

The Magus
{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

|

+2

|Spellbook, Discipline, Spellcasting, Arcana|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

|Unnatural|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

|Magic Channeling|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

|

+4

||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

|Unnoticeable|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|2

20th|

+10/+5

|

+6

|

+6

|

+12

|Anathema|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|4|3|3[/table]

Spells Readied
{table=head]Level|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th

1st|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
2nd|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
3rd|3|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
4th|3|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
5th|4|2|1|1|-|-|-|-|-|-
6th|4|3|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-
7th|4|3|2|1|1|-|-|-|-|-
8th|5|3|2|2|1|-|-|-|-|-
9th|5|4|3|2|1|1|-|-|-|-
10th|5|4|3|2|2|1|-|-|-|-
11th|6|4|3|3|2|1|1|-|-|-
12th|6|5|4|3|2|2|1|-|-|-
13th|6|5|4|3|3|2|1|1|-|-
14th|7|5|4|4|3|2|2|1|-|-
15th|7|5|5|4|3|3|2|1|1|-
16th|7|5|5|4|4|3|2|2|1|-
17th|8|5|5|4|4|3|3|2|1|1
18th|8|5|5|4|4|4|3|2|2|1
19th|8|5|5|4|4|4|3|3|2|1
20th|9|5|5|4|4|4|3|3|2|2[/table]

Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Magi are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any type of armor or shield. Armor of any type interferes with a magus's gestures, which can cause his spells with somatic components to fail.

Spellcasting: A magus casts arcane spells which are drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. A magus must choose and prepare which spells she has readied after 8 hours of rest and 15 minutes of meditation. The list of spells she has readied acts as her spells known for the day, as a sorcerer.

To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the Magus must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Magus’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the Magus’s Intelligence modifier. A Magus gains bonus spells per day (but not spells readied) based on her Charisma score.

Spellbook: A magus must study her spellbook each day to prepare her spells. She cannot prepare any spell not recorded in her spellbook.

A magus begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level wizard spells (except those from her prohibited schools) plus three 1st-level spells of your choice. For each point of Intelligence bonus the magus has, the spellbook holds one additional 1st-level spell of your choice. At each new magus level, she gains two new spells of any spell level or levels that she can cast (based on her new magus level) for her spellbook. At any time, a magus can also add spells found in other magi's spellbooks to her own.

Arcana (Su): The unique spellcasting style of the Magus has some side effects. Whenever the Magus casts a spell, she may choose to invoke Arcana as a swift action. If she does so, she rolls a d10. Should she roll 8 or better, the spell slot used does not pass from her daily allotment, but the spell is still cast. Should she roll a 10, she may apply any metamagic feat with a spell level modifier up to 1/4 her Magus level she knows to the spell at no increase in spell level. Should she roll a 1, however, the spell is lost without ever being cast, as if she had failed a Concentration check.

Discipline: Upon gaining a level in the Magus class, a character must choose 3 prohibited schools of magic. She may not learn these spells, as if she were a wizard who specialized.

Unnatural (Su):Beginning at fifth level, the universe begins marking the magus and her magic as something that really has no business existing. As a result, she begins to offset those around her as she begins casting her magic. For every 5 spell levels a magus casts in one day, she gains a cumulative -1 to diplomacy checks and +1 to intimidate checks.

Channeled Magic (Su): At 10th level, magi can channel some of their daily preparation into improving the magic of a school of their choice. They may choose to prepare a school of magic instead of a spell in any one of their slots, gaining benefits based on the school prepared:

Abjuration:The magus gains a deflection bonus to AC equal to the level of the spell slot used to ready the school. She also gains half this bonus as an untyped bonus to all her saves.

Conjuration:The magus gains the ability to teleport 5 feet per level of the spell slot used to ready this school as a standard action. This teleportation may be used once per encounter.

Divination:The magus gains an untyped bonus to her initiative equal to the level of the spell slot used to ready this school. She also gains the benefits of uncanny dodge. If a 5th (3rd?) level or higher spell slot is used, she also gains evasion. If a 8th level or higher spell slot is used, she gains improved evasion (Questionable).

Enchantment:The magus gains a bonus to her bluff, diplomacy, and intimidate skills equal to the level of the spell slot used to ready this school. In addition, preparing this school nullifies Unnatural for the duration of its preperation.

Evocation:The magus deals extra damage per die equal to the level of the spell slot used to prepare this school on any damaging spell she casts. In addition, reflex save DCs are increased by half that amount.

Illusion:Enemies attacking a magus with the Illusion school prepared take a 5% miss chance for each level of spell slot used to ready this school.

Necromancy:A magus with this school prepared may control twice the spell slot used to ready this school's HD in undead. Should she unready this school the following day, the undead remain under her control so long as she can keep making a DC (Undead's HD+20) will save.

Transmutation:The magus gains a natural attack (the type of which is up to her, chosen at the time the school is readied). It deals 1d4+Int mod damage. This damage increases to 1d6 with a 3rd level slot, 1d8 with a 5th, 2d6 with a 7th and 3d6 with a 9th level spell slot.

Unnoticeable (Su): By the time magi are at 15th level, the universe has stepped up it's game to make them stop existing. Any creature that has interacted with a magus must make a will save (DC 15+number of previous saves rolled) to remember the magus. This save is rolled once per day for a week, then once per week for a month, then once per month for the rest of the year. At the end of that year, if a save has not been failed, the creature will only forget the magus in normal ways. Creatures who forget the magus remember the content of the interaction, they merely forget the details about who they were interacting with.

Anathema (Su): At 20th level, magi become a full anathema to nature. Their type changes to Aberration, gaining darkvision out to 60 feet. They also gain SR equal to 11+their HD against hostile effects.

~~I'm particularly worried about the number of spells readied. Is it too much? Should I cut them down? Halve them, perhaps?~~
~~This whole universe-hates-them thing sort of inspires a PRC. Are these abilities better than bonus feats, though? Bonus feats are certainly easier. Also, does anyone have an idea for 10th level?~~

Edit:Added bonus spells, basic fluff.
Edit 3/9:Abilities, a little more fluff. Slowly fluffing. Like whipped cream. Also swapped which stat does what for casting because it made more sense to me.
Edit 3/11:Whoo, it should be playable!
Edit 3/15:Changed Enchantment School Preparation, and Anathema a tad.

**Latronis** · 2010-03-06, 05:53 PM (ISO 8601)

readied is fine

Especially if you get bonus spells (you never explained it) only on spells per day

**Apropos** · 2010-03-06, 06:13 PM (ISO 8601)

I don't think its necessary to prohibit three schools. Two should be fine.

**Latronis** · 2010-03-06, 06:16 PM (ISO 8601)

depends if you want it as a drawback.

only 2 prohibited schools is not a real disadvantage

**DragoonWraith** · 2010-03-06, 06:23 PM (ISO 8601)

Having 10% Arcane Spell Failure that is utterly unmitigable is kinda unfun. I mean, yes, casters need more drawbacks, but wasting a turn doing nothing is very unfun.

Having a 10% chance of free metamagic is very powerful, and also having effectively 40% more spells per day than is actually listed on the chart (actually 40% of spells on the chart plus bonus spells) is extremely powerful.

I dunno. Do they balance? Maybe. But having a random chance of being useless versus a random chance of being very overpowered seems a bit risky...

**Latronis** · 2010-03-06, 06:40 PM (ISO 8601)

Well it's no Wizard but it's better than the sorc

**finalepic** · 2010-03-06, 06:43 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Latronis

readied is fine

Especially if you get bonus spells (you never explained it) only on spells per day

eep. Yes, they do get bonus spells per day. I'll fix that.

Originally Posted by Apropos

I don't think its necessary to prohibit three schools. Two should be fine.

I don't know. I've never had a problem with being restricted at all missing only two schools as a specialized wizard, and I wanted to restrict them some. The current 3 -is- down from the original 4 or 5, though.

Originally Posted by DragoonWraith

Having 10% Arcane Spell Failure that is utterly unmitigable is kinda unfun. I mean, yes, casters need more drawbacks, but wasting a turn doing nothing is very unfun.

Having a 10% chance of free metamagic is very powerful, and also having effectively 40% more spells per day than is actually listed on the chart (actually 40% of spells on the chart plus bonus spells) is extremely powerful.

I dunno. Do they balance? Maybe. But having a random chance of being useless versus a random chance of being very overpowered seems a bit risky...

That's what I was worried about. Perhaps I could replace that with other class abilities? Is the way the Magus casts enough of a mechanic to carry it as a unique class?

**Latronis** · 2010-03-06, 06:47 PM (ISO 8601)

How about some basic fluff? It might inspire something in someone

**finalepic** · 2010-03-06, 06:47 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Latronis

How about some basic fluff? It might inspire something in someone

You know, I thought it looked kind of bare, but I could not for the life of me think of what was missing there.

Edit:Maybe some bonuses for the specialization instead of the risk?

**JoshuaZ** · 2010-03-08, 04:25 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by finalepic

You know, I thought it looked kind of bare, but I could not for the life of me think of what was missing there.

Edit:Maybe some bonuses for the specialization instead of the risk?

By fluff they mean some descriptors with minimal mechanical aspects. Where does a Magus get their power from? How do they interact with other spellcasters? What is their general attitude towards wizards? How do wizards feel about them?

Stuff like that.

**ErrantX** · 2010-03-08, 05:50 PM (ISO 8601)

Couple things:

Bonus spells readied based on Intelligence? Or no? Also, not a fan of the Arcana system that you put together, sorry. I'd consider maybe giving them a bonus feat list of metamagics, reserve feats, and such like a wizard, and just remove Wizards and Sorcerers from any game where this class presents itself. Otherwise, it's good, if really plain. Moar flavor plz!

-X

**finalepic** · 2010-03-08, 06:14 PM (ISO 8601)