[3.5] The Master of One, a new PrC

[Quirp]

The Master of One

Many Mages try to acquire more power and stronger spells over the course of their live. The Master of One is a mage, who was so excited, when he cast his first spell that he always tried to improve his casting of this spell. After years of study he has found ways to cast this spell in ways no other mage can truly understand. His chosen spell becomes able to compete with much more powerful spells.
HD: d6

4+Intmod Skillpoints, x4 at first level
Class Skills: Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Knowledge (arcana, history, the planes), Perform, Profession, Spellcraft

Prerequisites: must be able to cast 1st level arcane spells, concentration 8 ranks, spellcraft 8 ranks

Master of One
{table=head]Level|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Spells

1st|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|Spontaneous Casting, Enhance Spell|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

2nd|

+1

|

+0

|

+0

|

+3

|Better than Most|-

3rd|

+1

|

+1

|

+1

|

+3

|Enhance Spell|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

4th|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|Automatic Metamagic +2|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

5th|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|Enhance Spell|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

6th|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|Flawless Casting|-

7th|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|Enhance Spell|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

8th|

+4

|

+2

|

+2

|

+6

|Automatic Metamagic +4|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

9th|

+4

|

+3

|

+3

|

+6

|Enhance Spell|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

10th|

+5

|

+3

|

+3

|

+7

|Truly a Master|-[/table]

Spontaneous Casting: Choose one 0th or 1st level arcane spell you can cast. From now on you can convert any spell you have prepared into that spell. If the spell you spend is of a higher level than 1st your chosen spell is heightened to the level of that spell. If you cast spells spontaneously you do not increase the casting time of your chosen spell, when you apply metamagic feats to it.

Enhance Spell: Every time you get this class feature choose one of the abilities below.
{table]Hit them Harder*|The cap on the number of damage dice of your chosen spell is increased by your class level or spells that produce several projectiles (magic missile) increase the number of projectiles by that number or static bonus damage (+x not +xdy) is increased by your class level.
No Resistance|You can ignore spell resistance, when casting your chosen spell.
Lost Immunity*|You can ignore one descriptor of your chosen spell like [fear] or [mind-affecting], when determining if the target is affected by the spell.
Not Big Enough**|The HD cap on your chosen spell increases by twice your class level.
Bigger is Better**|The area of your chosen spell doubles.
Elemental Variety|You can freely choose which elemental damage type your chosen spell deals on each casting.
Power Boost**|Your caster level with your chosen spell increases by 2.
Counterspell Immunity|When you cast your chosen spell it cannot be countered or dispelled.
Effective Boost|Boni (skill/AC/…) you or others gain from your spell are increased by your class level
Still Active**|The duration of your spell increases (1round/lvl->1min/lvl->10min/lvl-> 1hour/lvl->24hours)
Far, Far Away**|The range of your spell increases by on category (low->mid->high)[/table]
*can be taken more than once
**can be taken more than once, stacks

Better than Most: You do not provoke attacks of opportunity when casting your chosen spell. You get a bonus equal to your class level on concentration checks to avoid losing that spell.

Automatic Metamagic +X: You can add X levels worth of metamagic feats to your chosen spell, when you cast it, without increasing its actual level (you must still know the feats).

Flawless Casting: When casting your chosen spell, you do not incur arcane spell failure chance. You never lose your spell due to taken damage, a hindering spell or environmental effects.

Truly a Master: You can cast your chosen spell as an immediate action. If you still have an immediate action remaining you can use your chosen spell to counter a spell cast within 120 ft as if using greater dispel magic. You can redirect your chosen spell to a new target or area if it is cast within 120 ft of you.

[Lyndworm]

I really like this. It makes me want to play a Sorcerer 5/Master of One 10/Force Missile Mage 5.

At 20th level (I know the wizard can do worse, right? ) that's 11d4+11 damage per Magic Missile (of which I would have 17). That's something to the tune of 187d4+187, twice a round (once as a Standard action and once Quickened to a Swift action for free). It also ignores Spell Resistance and is Long Range (meaning enemies just spontaneously explode without even seeing from where it came.)

Is that something that you wanted to happen?

[Quirp]

Seeing what 9th level spells normally do, this would be ok. You dedicated your entire build to that trick so it should have some awesome effects.
But the ability to increase the dice cap on a spell can only be used on spells, which have such a cap (at least thats what I intended). Magic Missile sadly has no scaling damge, only a scaling number of missiles. I included the statement about static damage and amount of missile exactly for that spell.
This means you would get only 1d4+11 damage on 17 missiles (so 17d4+187). Still not a low amount of dice to be rolled and the damage would be decent, especially when you apply empower spell to it as 2 levels of your free metamagic.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Now imagine if you maximized that magic missile.

[Veyr]

Three spellcasting levels...

versus Metamagic absurdity, Caster Level bonuses liek whoa, removal of hindering descriptors, upping HD limits by an enormous amount...

all on 1st-level spells.


I'm torn. You lose a ton. You gain a ton. It might... it might come out balanced? I'd want to see testing of it before allowing it, but wow, this is impressive for what it's trying to do, and how close it comes even if it does not quite succeed — which it very well might.

I think something like Sleep with the HD-cap raising Enhancement might be a bit too good. Not certain, though.


Also, heh, regarding the title, "Master of One, a new PrC" — there have actually been at least two previous PrCs by that title on this forum and I'm pretty sure there's a third to be found on Gleemax. The others were all martial adept PrCs that function as opposites to the Master of the Nine PrC in Tome of Battle.

[Quirp]

On the topic of sleep: I thought that at the level you gain the bonus on the HD cap (lets assume you take it only once and increase the range and other things after that) it makes the spell viable again, since, unless most of your enemies are outsiders or humanoids, hit dice scale faster than levels, so you would only be able to affect one or two targets at once (who still get a save).

I have to admit that I pictured this class as an old (exalted) wizard, who has never killed anyone in his live. He makes everyone, who opposes him, sleep.

On the thead title: I didn´t know that ("another PrC" might have been better, then), but my class has two reasons for the "One":
1. It concentrates on One spell
2. The spell is of the spell level One

Thank you for your kind responses.

[Lyndworm]

Seeing what 9th level spells normally do, this would be ok. You dedicated your entire build to that trick so it should have some awesome effects.

The problem is that the character also casts as a 16th level sorcerer. 8th level spells + the above shenanigans is a potent combo. If you're cool with that, then OK. I just wanted to make sure you knw what you had accomplished.

But the ability to increase the dice cap on a spell can only be used on spells, which have such a cap (at least thats what I intended). Magic Missile sadly has no scaling damge, only a scaling number of missiles. I included the statement about static damage and amount of missile exactly for that spell.
This means you would get only 1d4+11 damage on 17 missiles (so 17d4+187). Still not a low amount of dice to be rolled and the damage would be decent, especially when you apply empower spell to it as 2 levels of your free metamagic.

I (now) see what you were intending, but that's not what you wrote. What you wrote is this:

The cap on the number of damage dice of your chosen spell is increased by your class level

There's no mention of scaling, only a 'cap.' Neither you nor D&D defines the term 'cap' (as far as I'm aware), so I'm pretty sure it's still a completely legal RaW use of the ability. Besides, if you can't do that, then the sorcerer's getting a pretty raw deal. He'd be much better off to go Sorcerer 10/Force Missile Mage 5/Abjurant Champion 5. That doesn't mean it's a bad class, only that it's not great for magic missile abuse.

Now imagine if you maximized that magic missile.

My thoughts exactly. Although with a d4 damage die you'd probably be better off using Empower than Maximize.

I think something like Sleep with the HD-cap raising Enhancement might be a bit too good. Not certain, though.

I think things like sleep is probably the best use of this class. It could get ridonkulous.

Also, heh, regarding the title, "Master of One, a new PrC" — there have actually been at least two previous PrCs by that title on this forum and I'm pretty sure there's a third to be found on Gleemax. The others were all martial adept PrCs that function as opposites to the Master of the Nine PrC in Tome of Battle.

That's what I thought this was going to be, actually. I was pleasantly surprised.

On the topic of sleep: I thought that at the level you gain the bonus on the HD cap (lets assume you take it only once and increase the range and other things after that) it makes the spell viable again, since, unless most of your enemies are outsiders or humanoids, hit dice scale faster than levels, so you would only be able to affect one or two targets at once (who still get a save).

That's fairly suboptimal, though. If you take the HD increase all five times... you effect 104 HD. That could put an entire several Epic enemies to sleep at once. At fifteenth level.

[Quirp]

Yeah, but the chance is pretty high your epic level targets have high spell resistance and are immune to mind-affecting things, so you want to ignore these things.

On the high level casting: I considered to lose more caster levels, but I somehow decided against it. In a low(er) powered campaign this class should probably be at least half-casting.

EDIT: Would this be a better way to express the Hit them Harder ability:
You can either improve a cap on damage dice (if one already exists: xdy/caster level)
Or
Add your class level to static bonus damage (1d4+X)
Or
Increase the number of missiles a spell creates.

[DracoDei]

For clarity (with the above mentioned name duplication issue) perhaps you could try "Master of One Spell" or some such?

[Quirp]

It would better fit to the abilities of the class, but I think it sounds a bit clumsy (is that the right word).

[DracoDei]

It would better fit to the abilities of the class, but I think it sounds a bit clumsy (is that the right word).

Yes, it does. Thus "or some such". Brain not functioning 100%, thus not a fount of ideas right now.

[JoshuaZ]

How about "Perfected Spell" or "Master of the Perfected Spell"?

[DracoDei]

How about "Perfected Spell" or "Master of the Perfected Spell"?

The second one sounds good to me.

[Salbazier]

Name: Archspell (stealing from 4e epic destiny)

Longer, a bit silly(?): One Spell Paragon

[Hiro Protagonest]

Name: Archspell (stealing from 4e epic destiny)

That's what the name was! I was thinking of that.

[Lyndworm]

Yeah, but the chance is pretty high your epic level targets have high spell resistance and are immune to mind-affecting things, so you want to ignore these things.

That's actually a valid point, but l0wering the cap to 84 HD and then even effecting mindless creatures and the like is a super-powerful ability.

On the high level casting: I considered to lose more caster levels, but I somehow decided against it. In a low(er) powered campaign this class should probably be at least half-casting.

I think that three lost levels is about right. It's enough to make a sorcerer lose access to 9th level spells, after all. five lost levels would lose access to 8th level spells, too, and that's just crippling.

EDIT: Would this be a better way to express the Hit them Harder ability:
You can either improve a cap on damage dice (if one already exists: xdy/caster level)
Or
Add your class level to static bonus damage (1d4+X)
Or
Increase the number of missiles a spell creates.

It's less ambiguous, but kind of clunky.



How does Not Big Enough affect Color Spray and similar spells?

[TheLonelyScribe]

No idea if it's balanced, but I love it.

I think a clever DM could manufacture his campaign so that a high-powered Sleep is not always useful, whilst still letting his player have fun with it. Perhaps a game that is mainly diplomacy, until an entire village needs to be put to sleep so that their dreams can be harvested...

[Benly]

How would a Master of Silent Image interact with Shadowcraft Mage?

[deuxhero]

Likely broken, but LTIC, Shadowcraft mage does that fine on its own.

[Quirp]

Not Big Enough increases all HD caps on color spray by 2/class level (example: class level 1: your caps are 4/5-6/7). It does the same to hypnotism (so your HD limit increases to 2d4+2/class level).

[Fouredged Sword]

Take magic missile. Make it bypass SR and negative level Immunity. Take Not big enough and Bigger is better.

Now take fell drain, fell weaken, and something else.

Now your level one spell causes a negative level to quite a few oponents in a large (30ft) area, no roll, no save, no immunity.

Now twin it and or quicken it. I figure you can deal 3 negative levels a round to most foes each round.

[Quirp]

The only problem with your plan is that magic missile does not have any desriptor like [negative level] so you can´t remove it. You could make it not a [force] spell to affect force dragons, but the ability does not help against immunities, which are written out: for example a master of magic missile is hindered by a shield spell and a master of sleep is hindered by an elf.

And what you described is an effect of a feat and not of the spell. Enhance Spell just changes a spell and not a feat.

[NeoSeraphi]

No love for touch spells? It's only a first level spell, why not give a +5 bonus to the attack roll as one of the options? Sure it might not be as optimized but that's all the more reason why you should provide it.

I'm asking because with that bonus I could run a SAD Master of Orb of Fire, Lesser. But hell, it might be better optimized to just buff Dex and start launching Empowered Maximized Enervated Stilled Silent Blistering Fell Weakened Lesser Orbs of Fire in 1st level spell slots as immediate actions (Doesn't everyone love Arcane Thesis with this class?)

[Fruchtkracher]

Now that might seem like a nitpick, but I didn't realize that earlier:
why the d6 hit-dice? the class is a spezialisation of either the wizard or the sorceror (though dread necro, duskblade, warmage, wu-jen, bard and even adept qualify as well) - the upgrade is kinda... unneccesary

in the same vein, why 4 skillpoints/level? Do not get me wrong, I always prefer more skillpoints, but the most logical entrypoint would be a wizard, so the upgrade seems... out of space :/

and another small one - why would he have perform as a class skill?

[Quirp]

I don´t like the d4 as hit dice on anything but a commoner. I think someone, who has seen his share of owlbears, trolls and umber hulks should be tougher than a regular person.
I also don´t like 2+Intmod skill points, so I gave him more (also bard).

You can look at it as if I had put my houserules into the creation of the class. If you play vanilla D&D you could easily give him a d4 and lower skill points.

Bard is a valid entry, he needed more class skills and perform is something every wizard, who wants to have a good stage entry, wants to have ranks in.

[DracoDei]

and another small one - why would he have perform as a class skill?

To accommodate bard entry probably. Which might also help explain the skill points slightly and MAYBE even the HD. Not saying I agree/disagree with the skill points or HD. I would say keeping Perform is wise.

[Fruchtkracher]

bard would be a really crappy entry point
i mean a bard loses way more than any other class - skill points, Bab, his bardic abilities, and his already slow spell progression is even hampered more (6th level spells at level 19? come on oO)

[Quirp]

A bard loses a lot. But a bard gains the ability to cast spells that rival 9th level spells in power, something that a straight bard 20 build never gets.
Sure wizard is better, but that doesn´t say much, does it?

[Fruchtkracher]

which ones?
name me one bard spell besides hypnotism or sleep that would be usefull, even with that class
i mean ... featherfall? expeditious retreat?(though that one might be funny at least =D)
though of course i'm just kidding, the rather bad options for bards don't really matter, every other entry class is simply better

[Quirp]

Hideous Laughter and Cause Fear from the DMG.
from ComAdv: Focusing Chant, Herald´s Call and Inspirational Boost