Player’s Option™:
Spells & Magic
by Richard
Baker
Foreword
My introduction to fantasy began when I was assigned J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit in my 6th grade reading class. Although I was only eleven at the time, I was already a fan of science fiction—I’d read a lot of Robert Heinlein’s juvenile SF, as well as Doc Smith’s Lensman books and a smattering of other titles. I hadn’t read anything in the fantasy genre, and as I recall, I had little desire to do so. The Hobbit changed that for me, and I went back and re-read it as soon as I finished turning the last page. After that, I was off and running. The next thing I read was the Lord of the Rings. Then I found Terry Brooks’ The Sword of Shannara, followed by Ursula K. Leguin’s A Wizard of Earthsea.
And that’s where I was brought to a screeching halt. My hometown library was on the small side, and all of their fantasy and science fiction books occupied one carousel in the kids’ section. It may be hard to believe now, but even as recently as 1977 fantasy was a poor cousin to science fiction, which was a poor cousin to mainstream fiction. Bookstores just didn’t have the massive sections devoted to fantasy and science fiction that they have today. By hook and by crook, I eventually tracked down more and more fantasy titles. But when I was still desperately searching for fantastic fiction, sometime in 1978 or 1979, I ran across a brand-new game called Dungeons & Dragons®. So, like many people, I came to fantasy role-playing through my love of fantasy fiction.
In writing this book, I’ve come to the conclusion that the single defining characteristic of the fantasy genre is magic. Every fantasy story features a character who can use magic, owns a magical item, or is confronted with a magical situation or paradox. Movies like Ivanhoe or Robin Hood are wonderful adventures, but they’re not fantasy stories—there’s no magic. On the other hand, the popular Star Wars movies are fantasy, not science fiction, because magic (referred to as the Force) is part of the story. Science fiction is the literature of things that could happen; fantasy is the literature of things that can’t happen. And magic is the very essence of the impossible.
So, here’s a book about magic in the AD&D® game. I’ve tried to include enough options and choices to give you, the reader, the ability to give magic in your particular campaign almost any kind of flavor or feel that you like. If you want to make magic rarer, more "realistic," or more dangerous, you can find rules in here for doing so. If you want rules to add detail and complexity to the AD&D magic system, they’re here. Or if you just want some new wizard and priest character types as well as some complementary spells, you’ll find them. When I started this project, I thought that I’d have a hard time filling this whole book . . . now, I can’t believe how much more I could have written if space had permitted.
Have fun, and good gaming!
Rich Baker
January, 1996
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Introduction
What You Need to Use This Book
Integrating Spells & Magic Into Your
Campaign
Making the Switch
The Role of Magic in the Campaign
Scarcity
Mystery
Power
The Cost of Magic
Creating a World-View of Magic
Magic and Storytelling
Chapter : 1 Wizards
Spells from Other Sources
Schools of Magic
Schools of Philosophy
Schools of Effect
Schools of Thaumaturgy
The School of Universal Magic
Wizard Characters
The Wizard’s Spell Book
Mage
Specialist Wizard
Specialists in Schools of Philosophy
Specialists in Schools of Effect
Specialists in Schools of Thaumaturgy
Customized Wizard Characters
Using the Wizard Character
Design Rules
Optional Abilities
Optional Limitations
Dealing with Game-Breaking
Characters
Chapter 2: Priests
Spheres of Access
Player’s Option™ and Spheres of
Access
Priest Characters
Cleric
Crusader
Druid
Monk
Shaman
Customized Priest Characters
Optional Abilities
Optional Limitations
Dealing with Game-Breaking
Characters
Chapter 3: Other Spellcasters
Bards and Custom-Designed
Characters
Bards in Player’s Option™:
Spells & Magic
Optional Abilities for Bards
Optional Limitations for Bards
Paladins, Rangers, and Minor
Spellcasters
Paladins
Rangers
Multi-Classed Spellcasters
Multi-Classed Wizards
Multi-Classed Priests
Monsters
Monstrous Spellcasters
Monsters with Spell-like
Abilities
Chapter 4: Proficiencies
Proficiencies and Character Points
Proficiency Slots and Check
Modifiers
Character Points and Ability
Modifiers
Wizard Proficiencies
Signature Spells
Priest Proficiencies
Chapter 5: Equipment
Laboratories
The Location
Physical Requirements
Equipment
The Library
Supplies and Reagents
Relocating Laboratories
Priests’ Altars
The Location
Physical Requirements
Materials and Decoration
Consecrating the Altar
Material Spell Components
Spell Components:
Yes or No?
Acquiring Spell Components
Storage of Spell Components
The Spell Component List
Arcanists and Apothecaries
Alchemists
Apothecaries and Herbalists
Wise Women and Hedge
Wizards
Arcanist
Buying, Selling, and Trading
Magical Items
Chapter 6: Magic
The Spell Point System
Selecting Spells
Cantrips
Exceeding the Spell
Level Limit
Casting Spells for
Greater Effect
Reducing Spell Cost
Bonus Spell Points for
High Intelligence
Recovering Spell Points
Systems of Magic
Channellers
Warlocks and Witches
Defilers and Preservers
Alienists or Summoners
Priests and Spell Points
Minor Spheres of Access
Orisons
Recovering Spell Points
Priests and Systems of Magic
Channelling
Ritual Prayer
Conditional Magic
Druidical Magic
Other Spellcasters
Paladins
Rangers
Bards
Chapter 7: Spell Research and Magical Item Creation
Spell Research
Proposing a Spell
Describing a Spell
Approval and Modification
Conducting Research
New Spells in the Campaign
Magical Item Creation
Special Ingredients
Potions
Scrolls
Other Items
Qualities
Items That No Player Character
Should Create
Recharging Magical Items
Chapter 8: Spells in Combat
Spell Characteristics
Casting Subtlety
Sensory Signature Strength of Sensory Signature
Sensory Signatures by School
Spells with Attack Rolls
Knockdowns
Spells and Knockdown Dice
Collateral Spell Effects
Fire
Cold
Electricity and Lightning
Acid
Wind
Other Collateral Effects
Critical Strikes
When Do Critical Strikes
Occur?
Critical Strikes the Easy Way
Types of Critical Strikes
Strike Location
Severity
Specific Injuries and Effects
Bleeding
Combat Penalties
Armor, Shield, and Equipment
Damage
Appendix 1:
New Wizard Spells
First-Level Spells
Detect Phase
Detect Secret Passages and
Portals
Dictation
Expeditious Retreat
Protection from Vermin
Ray of Fatigue
Second-Level Spells
Cat’s Grace
Displace Self
Moon Rune
Protection from Poison
Wall of Gloom
Third-Level Spells
Bands of Sirellyn
Lance of Disruption
Lesser Sign of Sealing
Protection from Amorphs
Solvent of Corrosion
Wall of Water
Fourth-Level Spells
Conjure Elemental-Kin
Improved Strength
Lesser Geas
Mordenkainen’s Force
Missiles
Psychic Protection
Ultravision
Vitriolic Sphere
Fifth-Level Spells
Improved Blink
Leomund’s Hidden Lodge
Proofing versus Combustion
Prying Eyes
Rusting Grasp
Tenser’s Destructive
Resonance
Vile Venom
Sixth-Level Spells
Arrow of Bone
Dimensional Blade
Etherealness
Greater Sign of Sealing
Superior Magnetism
Trollish Fortitude
Seventh-Level Spells
Descent into Madness
Neutralize Gas
Persistence
Seven-Eyes
Eighth-Level Spells
Analyze Dweomer
Heart of Stone
Iron Body
Ninth-Level Spells
Programmed Amnesia
Sphere of Ultimate
Destruction
Appendix 2:
New Priest Spells
First-Level Spells
Astral Celerity
Battlefate
Blessed Watchfulness
Calculate
Calm Animals
Dispel Fatigue
Firelight
Orison
Protection from Chaos
Strength of Stone
Sunscorch
Wind Column
Second-Level Spells
Astral Awareness
Chaos Ward
Cure Moderate Wounds
Ethereal Barrier
Iron Vigil
Resist Acid and Corrosion
Restore Strength
Soften Earth and Stone
Watery Fist
Third-Level Spells
Control Animal
Detect Spirits
Dictate
Etherealness
Fortify
Summon Animal Spirit
Hold Poison
Repair Injury
Unfailing Premonition
Weather Prediction
Wind Servant
Fourth-Levels Spells
Adamantite Mace
Dimensional Anchor
Entrench
Omniscient Eye
Recitation
Suspended Animation
Unfailing Endurance
Windborne
Fifth-Level Spells
Animate Flame
Dimensional Translocation
Impregnable Mind
Othertime
Produce Ice
Righteous Wrath of the
Faithful
Sixth-Level Spells
Command Monster
Entropy Shield
Whirlwind
Seventh-Level Spells
Antimineral Shell
Conjure Air or Water
Elemental
Impervious Sanctity of Mind
Tsunami
Appendix 3:
Wizard Spells by School
Appendix 4:
Priest Spells by Sphere
Index
Tables
Table 1: Philosophy Specialist
Requirements
Table 2: Effect Specialist
Requirements
Table 3: Shadow Mage Target Saving
Throw Modifiers
Table 4: Thaumaturgical Specialist
Requirements
Table 5: Shaman Spirits Per Level
Table 6: Access Costs
Table 7: Monster Casting Levels
Table 8: New Wizard Nonweapon
Proficiencies
Table 9: Signature Spell Costs
Table 10: New Priest Nonweapon
Proficiencies
Table 11: Building Construction Time
and Cost
Table 12: Laboratory Cost and Size
Requirements
Table 13: Libraries
Table 14: Field Searches
Table 15: Purchasing Components
Table 16: Spell Components
Table 17: Wizard Spell Point
Progression
Table 18: Spell Cost by Level (Wizard)
Table 19: Bonus Spell Points for
Intelligence
Table 20: Spell Point Recovery for
Channellers
Table 21: Spell Fatigue
Table 22: Initiative Modifiers for
Preservers and Defilers
Table 23: Risk of Insanity by
Spell Level
Table 24: Random Insanity Chart
Table 25: Phobias
Table 26: Priest Spell Point
Progression
Table 27: Bonus Spell Points for Priest
Characters
Table 28: Spell Cost by Level (Priest)
Table 29: Spell Point Costs for
Major and Minor Spheres
Table 30: Initiative Modifiers for
Ritual Prayer
Table 31: Modifiers to Ritual
Preparatory Times
Table 32: Effects of Conditions
Table 33: Paladin Spell Point
Progression
Table 34: Spell Costs by
Sphere (Paladin)
Table 35: Ranger Spell Point
Progression
Table 36: Bard Spell Point
Progression
Table 37: Spell Cost by Level
(Bards)
Table 38: Magical Item Cost and
Time Requirements
Table 39: Spell Subtlety Modifiers
Table 40: Sensory Signatures
Table 41: Armor-Breaching Spells
Table 42: Armor-Observing Spells
Table 43: Knockdown Numbers
by Size
Table 44: Spells with Knockdown
Effects
Table 45: Critical Strike Chance by
Caster Level
Table 46: Critical Strike Location
Table 47: Whole-Body Injuries
Table 48: Critical Severity
TSR, Inc. TSR Ltd.
201 Sheridan Springs Road 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton
Lake Geneva Cambridge CB1 3LB
WI 53147 USA United Kingdom
Credits
Design: Richard Baker
Editing: Miranda Horner
Creative Director: Steve Winter
Cover Art: Jeff Easly
Interior Art: David O. Miller, William O’Connor, Thomas Manning,
Randy Post, Ken Frank, Dennis Cramer, Arnie Swekel & Philip Robb
Graphic Design: Paul Hanchette, Greg Kerkman & Shan Ren
Typography: Nancy J. Kerkstra
Art Director: Stephen A. Daniele
Special Thanks To:
Scott Douglas, Duane Maxwell, Steve Miller, Jon Pickens,
John Rateliff, Lawrence Schick, Steve Winter, David Wise
ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, AL-QADIM, BATTLESYSTEM, DARK SUN, DUNGEON MASTER, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, FORGOTTEN REALMS, and RAVENLOFT are registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.
BIRTHRIGHT, DM, MONSTROUS MANUAL, PLAYER’S OPTION, and the TSR logo are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. All TSR characters, character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.
Random House and its affiliate companies have worldwide distribution rights in the book trade for English-language products of TSR, Inc. Distributed to the book and hobby trade in the United Kingdom by TSR Ltd. Distributed to the toy and hobby trade by regional distributors.
©1996 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of TSR, Inc.
2163XXX1501 ISBN 0-7869-0394-5
First Printing, May 1996
Made in the U.S.A.
Introduction
What’s a fantasy game without magic?
Sure, the AD&D® game can be played without spellcasters, enchanted monsters, or magical items. Everyone can still role-play brave heroes, confront deadly foes, and attempt great quests or deeds of mythical proportions. In fact, it can be fun and challenging to do so in a nonmagical setting. But the point remains that magic, more than any other characteristic, defines the AD&D game. As a fantasy role-playing game, AD&D is anchored in the traditions of fantasy literature, and fantasy literature by definition features some element of magic. Even if the heroes of a fantasy story distrust or dislike magic, it’s still there in the background as part of the world they live in.
Generally, most writers of fantasy literature create their own unique systems of magic to explain the supernatural powers their heroes and villains employ. With great care and deliberate effort, authors define what magic can and cannot do in their worlds. For example, in The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien circumscribes the wizard Gandalf’s power by placing restrictions on Gandalf’s freedom of action. The great wizard is bound by a code of secrecy and noninterference that prevents him from directly challenging the power of Sauron, and he can only help and advise as the Free Peoples of Middle-earth fight their own battles. Jack Vance’s Dying Earth stories assume that wizards must study complicated patterns and formulae to memorize very specific spells that may only be used once before vanishing from the wizard’s memory. (Sound familiar?)
There are very good reasons for limiting magic’s power from a literary point of view. Modern readers need to see real challenges and obstacles for the characters in a story, and magic systems that are too open-ended can wreck a story’s credibility and sense of suspense. If Gandalf could have just wished the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom from Frodo’s living room, what would have been the point of the trek to Mordor? Since fantasy role-playing games are flexible models of the fantasy genre, the same considerations are true for them. A fantasy RPG has to set very precise rules for how magic works and what it can do, and the presentation and workings of the magic system inevitably become the game’s salient characteristics.
In fantasy literature, it’s common for a magic system to be defined for only one world-setting at a time by a single author (although shared-world concepts are fairly common, too). The AD&D game’s magic system represents a common framework built up by hundreds of designers, Dungeon Masters, and players over more than twenty years. There are thousands of spells and magical items defined—a volume of material that is an order of magnitude larger than any other magic system in games or fiction. The basic assumptions of what magic is and how it works in the AD&D game are shared by literally millions of gamers and fantasy fans. Despite the immense importance of magic to the game, it is one of the few areas that has remained nearly unchanged to date in the evolution of the game. Magic never changed in function; it simply grew amoeba-like, adding more and more spells and items while the basic, underlying assumptions remained the same.
Player’s Option™: Spells & Magic examines the AD&D magic system from every angle. First, the spellcasting classes—wizards, priests, and less dedicated magic wielders such as bards or rangers—will be examined in detail. The various schools and spheres of spells are reorganized and new class abilities are introduced, along with an optional point-based character class design system compatible with the Player’s Option: Skills & Powers rulebook. New proficiencies and detailed information about wizard and priest equipment adds depth and variety to any campaign. A new magic memorization and casting system is introduced in Chapter 6, providing new ways to customize a character’s spell selection. Spells in combat and critical hits with spells are detailed in Chapter 8. And last, but not least, there are more than 30 pages of new spells included in this book.
Like any of the Player’s Option books, the material in this supplement is optional. The DM is free to use as much or as little of Spells & Magic as he wishes to in his campaign. However, we have tried to present systems that do not contradict each other, so it is possible to use all the rules additions and expansions without any difficulty.
What You Need to Use This Book
At a minimum, you should have access to a Player’s Handbook and Dungeon Master® Guide to make use of this rules expansion. Note that Player’s Option: Spells & Magic is compatible with the previous books in the Player’s Option line; character class design rules in this book are expansions of the class design rules from Skills & Powers, and the chapter on spells in combat is tailored for use with the Combat & Tactics skirmish system. In addition, the Tome of Magic is referred to a number of times in this book; you don’t need Tome of Magic to use this book, but it adds many spells and magical items you may find useful in your campaign.
Integrating Spells & Magic into Your Campaign Player’s Option: Spells & Magic is designed principally as an expansion, not a replacement. However, there are a few special cases where the information presented here should be taken as an update and replacement of existing rules. Specifically, the wizard spell schools and priest spell spheres have been slightly rearranged to improve game balance and make the wizard and priest specialist classes more competitive with respect to the general versions of these characters, the mage and the cleric.
Most of the rest of this book can be integrated piecemeal into an existing campaign without any trouble. For example, additional proficiencies and new spells can be approved or disapproved by the DM on a case-by-case basis. These were designed to be completely usable with or without the Player’s Option rules.
Making the Switch
Adding spells, magical items, or the critical hit rules to an existing campaign is fairly easy, but a DM may have trouble with some other material in this book. In particular, existing spellcasters may wish to take advantage of new class abilities or optional specializations that weren’t available when the character was first created. There are several ways to handle this. First, there’s no reason that a DM couldn’t allow a player to "re-design" his character, incorporating the abilities he thinks his character should have had all along. If a PC cleric comes from a savage tribe and portrays himself as a barbarian, it’s perfectly reasonable to allow him to rebuild his character as a shaman (see Chapter 2) and continue play. If the player is altering his character without any good rationale or explanation for why he’s making the change, the DM can require the character to pay a penalty of 10% to 50% of his experience point total, depending on the DM’s assessment of the scope of the alterations.
There are a couple of things a player should not be able to do by redesigning his character. A character shouldn’t change specializations without a very good justification, so a necromancer shouldn’t be rebuilt as an enchanter or wild mage, and a specialty priest of Lathander shouldn’t become a priest of Helm. A character’s basic ability scores, equipment, proficiencies, hit points, and general personality shouldn’t change. If a player was playing a barbarian cleric correctly, he was probably choosing skills and weapons appropriate for a shaman—and if he wasn’t selecting these skills, the reasoning behind the switch becomes much more suspect. Finally, a character shouldn’t actually change classes or become dual-classed or multi-classed.
The Spell Point System: The most drastic change to the AD&D game lies in the new spell point system described in Chapter 6. Try running a brief "trial adventure" using the rules before incorporating them into your campaign. The spell point rules provide spellcasters with a lot more flexibility than the standard magic system without increasing their raw combat or spell power, but if PCs are allowed to make use of spell points, NPCs and monsters should be able to as well.
The Role of Magic in the Campaign It’s safe to say that magic in one form or another is present in virtually all AD&D campaigns; only the most historical or unusual settings do away with magic altogether. But, beyond this simple observation, it’s clear that each group of AD&D players has their own interpretation of what magic is, how it works, how various spells interact with each other, and what player characters should and should not be able to do with their arsenal of spells and magical items. By altering some of the basic assumptions that are part of the AD&D game’s magic system, a DM can infuse his campaign with its own unique flavor and texture.
While the greater portion of this book deals with altering the rules of the game, this isn’t always a necessary part of changing the way that the players (and the NPCs they interact with) view magic and its effect on their world. For example, let’s say that the nature of magic in a campaign setting can be described by a simple scale that rates the scarcity, mystery, power, and cost of magic on a scale of 1 to 10. Obviously, a campaign with magic that is extremely scarce and weak in power represents a very mundane world when compared to a world where powerful magic is very common.
Scarcity
How common is magic in the campaign? Are wizards and spell-wielding priests so rare that even low-level characters are figures of legend, or are they so common that any hamlet or crossroads village has its own resident spellcasters? Most AD&D campaigns take a position between these two extremes, but lean towards the high end of the scale, falling in the 6 to 8 range on the 10-point scale—wizards and priests appear as allies, enemies, sources of information, or even window-dressing in literally every adventure a typical group plays. At the highest extremes, campaigns feature numerous spellcasters and magical items. Even a small town has several wizards of skill, plus dozens of minor merchants, craftsmen, or innkeepers with a spell or two up their sleeve. Wizards are so common that even the most remarkable mages lose their aura of mystery.
So, what does this mean? In a normal campaign, it’s safe to assume that anywhere the PCs go, the locals know a nearby wizard, and most people encounter a wizard a couple of times a year. Any sizable town has at least one or two resident wizards and spell-using priests, plus a handful of folks with minor magical powers such as herbalists, hedge wizards, and healers. Large towns or small cities may have up to a dozen or so magic-using characters, and great cities could support several dozen without crowding. Almost any NPC above 1st level owns one or more magical items, even if they’re fairly small or expendable, and player characters frequently own about three to five magical items by the time they reach 4th to 7th level.
In campaigns where magic is not as common (say, a 2 to 4 on the scale), the spellcasting characters become truly unique and important. A priest who can actually invoke his deity’s power in the form of spells may be perceived by the great clerical hierarchy as a saint or great patriarch in the making, or possibly as a dangerous reminder of the true faith in those hierarchies that have become complacent or corrupt. A high-ranking hierarch without spells will certainly watch a low-level PC cleric very carefully, especially if the PC makes no efforts to hide the "miraculous" effects he creates with simple 1st- and 2nd-level spells. Similarly, if wizard magic is quite scarce, a PC wizard can’t help but gather attention, fame, and not a little fear if he publicly displays his skills.
Priests vs. Wizards: A wizard’s magic and a priest’s magic are not the same thing, and both forms of magic do not have to be present in a campaign to the same degree. Imagine a world where wizards are viewed as the worst sort of villain and persecuted without remorse for decades. Wizards and their spells might be exceedingly scarce, while priests are far more common because they are socially acceptable—thus, the presence of wizard magic might only be a 1 or 2 while priest magic is closer to a 6 or 7 on the scale.
Magical Items: Similarly, magical items might be more or less common than spellcasters. If no one had ever invented the spell enchant an item, it’s reasonable to assume that magical items might be a rarity in even the most magical campaign settings. The reverse could be true if there was a lost civilization of highly advanced wizards who left behind great numbers of artifacts and items. The wizards of today might be armed to the teeth with magical items, despite the fact that they are struggling to grasp the basics of spellcasting.
Mystery
Can anyone in the campaign be a wizard or priest, or do these characters have to belong to a select set in order to even begin their studies? Do the common people know enough about magic to distinguish between priest and wizard spells? Is the study of magic a study of easily-defined natural laws, or are the forms of magic deliberately obscured by generations of needless rite and ceremony? Most importantly, do the PCs know the limits of a spellcaster’s powers?
In most AD&D games, characters "in the know" have an excellent grasp of exactly what each spell available can do. After all, most players are quite familiar with the Player’s Handbook and know the spells they can make use of inside and out. But most common NPCs aren’t as knowledgeable; the typical innkeeper doesn’t know that a low-level wizard can use invisibility to walk out without paying his tab, or fool’s gold to cheat him. He just knows that wizards can do things that ordinary people can’t, and if he’s a bright innkeeper, he never falls for the same trick twice.
In a less mysterious world, the same innkeeper knows to look out for invisibility, charm person, fool’s gold, and half-a-dozen other dirty tricks. He may even know enough to request a wizard to relinquish certain spell components to make sure a particularly obnoxious spell (fireball, for instance) won’t be available to that wizard while he’s in the innkeeper’s place of business. In this kind of setting, everyone would know that priests can heal injuries, blindness, or disease, or possibly bring back a loved one from the dead, and priest characters will be constantly asked to use their powers on someone’s behalf.
In a world where the nature of magic is cloaked in superstition and ignorance—an 8 or 9 on the scale—spellcasters will generally inspire fear in anyone who learns of their powers. Note that even the wizard character himself may not really know why his spells work—imagine a character who begins a magic missile spell with a thunderous declaration of the names of forbidden powers, just because he was taught to do it that way. Of course, one of the ‘names’ is actually the spell’s verbal component, and the rest of the nonsense has no effect on the casting of the spell. It’s a good idea for a DM with this kind of world to forbid players from looking up spells and effects in the PHB, since their characters only have access to a portion of this knowledge. The DM should also feel free to alter standard spell effects and create new spells just to instill a sense of dread and wonder in experienced, jaded players.
Power
What can magic accomplish in the campaign? Is there anything it can’t do, and why? Will 10th-level magic be allowed as an option, or is 9th level the most powerful magic available? Can wishes change history or reverse events that have already occurred? To what degree do the gods and their avatars involve themselves in this world setting? In most magic systems, setting boundaries to a character’s ability to affect events with magic is vitally important. Typically, an AD&D game assumes that 9th-level spells are the most powerful magic known to mortals, and that the player characters encounter a deity no more than once or twice over the course of an entire campaign.
The impact of magic on a campaign world can be greatly lessened by reducing the maximum level of spells that can work there, although this is getting into rules alterations. For example, by limiting spells to 8th level, mages can no longer make use of wishes or gates. If the maximum is 7th level, mages lose the spell permanency, which is a key part of the magical item creation process. Without this spell, magical items become temporary or disposable—no persistent enchantments can exist.
Another point lies in the emphasis on the power of characters versus the power of magical items. Should a fighter become a killing machine because he happened to find a vorpal blade, or should most of his combat bonuses be derived from skills and training? In earlier incarnations, the AD&D game leaned strongly towards the first option, but with the advent of weapon mastery, style specializations, and other character-based bonuses, it is now possible to create a character who doesn’t need a powerful magical item to drastically increase his combat power. The real danger to game balance lies in combining these two benefits—a weapon master equipped with a powerful magical weapon becomes nearly unstoppable. If your campaign features a lot of high-powered magic, you should strongly consider playing without optional specialization or proficiency rules.
The Cost of Magic
In fantasy literature, there is often a price to be paid for magical power. Wizards may have to make terrible pacts with dark powers for the knowledge they seek, priests may have to sacrifice something dear to them to invoke their deity’s favor, or the spellcaster may pay an immediate price in terms of fatigue, illness, or even a loss of sanity. Generally, the AD&D game is quite forgiving in this regard; when a character casts a spell, he expends a few unusual material components and simply forgets the spell he had known. It’s easy to increase the cost of magic by strictly enforcing the requirement to procure material components for spells, especially if the DM is conservative in handing out treasure. For example, find familiar requires at least 1,000 gold pieces of special herbs and incenses, which means that a 1st-level wizard may have to do a lot of adventuring before he has enough money to summon his familiar! The spell scare requires a piece of bone from an undead creature; requiring the wizard character to personally locate and remove such materials can force the player to make hard decisions about which spells are worth the trouble.
Now, imagine a game setting in which magic is far more costly. What if a character risked insanity every time he attempted to learn a spell? Or if the casting of a spell required the character to make a saving throw vs. spell or pass out from exhaustion? A character might even have to risk a permanent loss of hit points or ability scores each time he cast a spell in a world where magic is exceptionally dangerous. (See Chapter 6 for some of these options.) Again, these restrictions are rules changes and not just cosmetic matters, but a few changes like these can make a great impact on a normally routine campaign.
Creating a World-View of Magic
How can the DM put all this together? Let’s consider a couple of the AD&D campaign settings as examples. First of all, take a look at Faerun, the setting of the Forgotten Realms® campaign. Magic is quite common in the Realms, and only slightly mysterious; everyone knows of the great wizards and the typical powers a wizard is likely to command, but there are a number of unique spells and magical items to be found. Magic is also fairly powerful in Faerun and comes with little cost or sacrifice to any character who works hard enough. The magic of the Realms is about average for an AD&D campaign.
The Dark Sun® campaign has an entirely different approach to magic. Magic is still fairly common and mysterious, but it can be extremely powerful (the sorcerer-kings of Athas command 10th-level magic) and comes at a great cost—the defiling of any living vegetation nearby when a wizard casts a spell. In fact, the destruction caused by Athas’ wizards is the chief cause of the planet’s dessication and the rise of bizarre, mutated monsters.
Last but not least, the Birthright™ campaign setting
portrays a world in which wizard magic is rare. Mages are mysterious figures with unusual powers. Only a handful of characters have the heritage required to make use of true magic, and fewer still can command the kingdom-shaking powers of realm magic.
Here are a few ideas for alternative magic settings for your own campaign:
The College of Sorcerers: In this setting, all wizards belong to a single guild or society cloaked in rite and mystery. (The imagers of Stephen R. Donaldson’s The Mirror of Her Dreams are a good example of such a society.) Spells may require a rare or unusual ingredient controlled by the College, or the College may treat spells as secrets that must be kept at any cost.
Secrets Man Was Not Meant to Know: Wizard magic is the province of horrible pre-human powers of the Outer Void, and dealing with them is the worst kind of betrayal. Insanity plagues those foolish enough to delve into the secrets of these elder powers; H.P. Lovecraft’s stories are an excellent model of this kind of campaign. Chapter 6 describes a spell point system of magic that reflects this type of setting.
Smoke and Mirrors: Wizards are far less powerful than they appear to be—most are nothing more than alchemists and scholars who can command a few feeble spells. Any spell that creates something out of nothing or summons energy where no energy existed before cannot be cast; illusions, divinations, and minor alterations and summonings are the only types of magic that work. Many magical effects are accomplished through nonmagical means; for example, a pyrotechnics spell is nothing more than a handful of chemical powder thrown on a flame.
The Magical Renaissance: In this world, almost everyone has a magical talent or two. Magic is fully integrated into society, not as a replacement for technology, but as a part of the common awareness and an augmentation of a person’s skills. Chambermaids use cantrips to dust and to make beds, royal investigators have access to speak with dead and ESP to enforce the law, and many brilliant works of art are at least partly magical in nature. Even nonwizards may have a small selection of spells in this kind of setting.
The Lost Powers: Priests of this campaign have almost no spell powers. The various deities of their pantheon have lost the ability to grant spells to their followers or have denied their followers spells for some reason. For a particularly chilling campaign, combine this thesis with the Secrets Man Was Not Meant to Know scenario to create a world in which the only spellcasters with any power are the insane servants of inhuman powers.
Magic and Story Telling When it comes down to it, an AD&D adventure is nothing more than a story created by the DM and embellished upon by the players. Every campaign generates volumes of epic confrontations, cliffhangers, and sinister villains—it’s just the way the game is played. Magic is often the central feature of these campaign stories; most players couldn’t tell you a thing about Joe’s paladin, but everyone who was at the game remembers the time Joe’s paladin found the holy avenger! An enormous number of player characters are remembered fondly not for their personalities or the skill with which they were played, but instead the particular magical items they owned and the nifty tricks they had with their spell selections.
While this isn’t necessarily bad, it can detract from the role-playing elements of a game if the players and the DM allow it to. After all, when the only tool you have is a hammer, everything starts looking like a nail—and if you’ve got a flame tongue sword, it looks like the answer to any problem is going to involve slashing and burning something. Similarly, a wizard whose most memorable achievement is his invention of Alkair’s inescapable decapitation and subsequent use of the spell in every encounter for the rest of the campaign isn’t really a well-developed character at all. A hero with a magical sword is fine, but when the magical sword defines the hero, the hero is diminished.
Another difficulty that arises in many campaigns is the substitution of magic for technology. AD&D game players are (quite naturally) creatures of the modern world, and modern conveniences such as automobiles, tanks, telephones, televisions, computers, and any number of other devices seem so indispensable that there just have to be magical equivalents. While some of this is fine in any campaign, it desensitizes both players and DMs to the sheer wonder that magic should inspire in most characters. After all, magic should be magical, full of mystery and terror, but when a character routinely uses magic to brush his teeth and stir his stew, magic becomes nothing more than a tool. Blurring the distinction between magic and technology detracts from the strength of both philosophies.
Last, but not least, it’s important to remember that magic can do anything that a DM needs it to do for purposes of advancing the plot or elaborating on an adventure. If the story calls for a greater tanar’ri to be encased in a glass globe, it’s not necessary to worry about exactly how the tanar’ri was imprisoned there, or what spells the old archmage used to defeat the creature; it’s okay for a DM to simply tell the players that the archmage did it. However, PCs and NPCs who are interacting with the party should follow the rules—up to the point that the rules interfere with the story.
Chapter 1:
Wizards
The wizard may well be the most important character class in the AD&D game. Whether or not a particular player character wizard is the most powerful member of a party, it seems that every AD&D campaign has at least one great archmage or master wizard who holds supreme power. Wizards are responsible for the creation of all kinds of adventures and works of magic that other characters later become entangled in or discover. In many adventures, the party’s wizard is the only character who can use his magic to provide a means to cross a barrier or solve a riddle. In fact, in some cases, the only way to resolve the entire adventure or quest is through the inventive use of the wizard’s spell arsenal.
Given this fact, it only makes sense to begin an examination of magic in the AD&D game with a thorough look at the wizard character class. In this chapter, we’ll examine all the varieties of mages and specialist wizards available to a player character. Several new varieties of specialist wizards are also described in this chapter. In addition to a long look at the existing wizard classes, we’ll also present a point-based character design system that will allow a player to select his wizard’s abilities and limitations in order to customize his own character. This system is an expansion of the character class rules from Player’s Option: Skills & Powers, although you don’t need that book in order to use this material.
The information in Player’s Option: Spells & Magic replaces or revises the Player’s Handbook, The Complete Wizard’s Handbook, the Tome of Magic, and the material on magic from Player’s Option: Skills & Powers. In other words, if you have this book, you should use the rules presented here when creating your wizard character. However, there is one notable exception to this case—if you are using an AD&D campaign setting that includes its own rules on character generation, such as the Dark Sun or Al-Qadim® game settings, you should continue to create wizards for those settings using the appropriate rules.
Spells from Other Sources
While the material on creating wizard characters is updated for this book, you’ll find that spells that appeared in previous books have not been altered. As long as the DM approves, a player character wizard can learn spells from any source the player has available. In fact, the spell lists contained in Appendix 3 of this book include spells from the Player’s Handbook, Tome of Magic, and The Complete Wizard’s Handbook as well as dozens of new spells introduced in this book. Additional spells from the Wizard’s Spell Compendium, Pages from the Mages, or any other source can be approved by the DM on a case-by-case basis.
Schools of Magic All wizard spells belong to one or more schools of magic. A school of magic represents related spells with common features or characteristics. For a mage, who is the basic or general wizard, the school of a spell doesn’t matter too much; he can learn and cast any spell without regard to the spell’s school. The only exception to this rule is wild magic, which is completely unfathomable to any wizard except a wild mage.
While the majority of wizards are mages, a significant number choose to be specialists who concentrate their efforts in one particular school. Generally, this increases the wizard’s abilities within the school of his choice at the cost of losing access to any schools with opposing philosophies.
There are three schemes of school organization used in the AD&D game: philosophy, effect, and thaumaturgy.
Schools of Philosophy
The eight standard schools of spells presented in the Player’s Handbook—abjuration, alteration, conjuration/summoning, enchantment/charm, greater divination, illusion/phantasm, invocation/evocation, and necromancy—are schools of philosophy. While all spells in this scheme of organization are cast in much the same way, the approach and method by which they achieve their purpose varies from school to school. For example, conjuration spells generally bring something to the caster from another location, while necromancy spells manipulate the forces of life and death.
While spells in a school of philosophy generally involve the application of a common principle, they vary greatly in effect. For example, invocations create anything from solid matter such as walls of stone or iron to comprehensive enchantments such as contingency or limited wish. Note that all spells grouped into schools of philosophy share the same execution or method of casting—the use of verbal, somatic, and material components to summon and direct magical energy. The basic philosophies behind each school are briefly described below:
Abjuration spells are specialized protective spells designed to banish some magical or nonmagical effect or creature. Protection from evil is an example of an abjuration spell, since it creates a barrier that evil or supernatural creatures are reluctant to cross.
Alteration spells cause a change in the properties of some previously existing thing, creature, or condition. Pyrotechnics is an alteration spell, since it takes an existing fire and creates special effects from the blaze.
Conjuration/Summoning spells bring some intact item or creature to the caster from elsewhere. Any monster summoning spell is a good example.
Enchantment/Charm spells cause a change in the quality of an item or the attitude of a person or creature. Charm person is an enchantment, since it affects the way an individual perceives the wizard.
Divinations are spells that provide the wizard with information or the ability to acquire information. Contact other plane is a divination, since it allows the wizard to seek answers from extraplanar entities. Note that this school has been somewhat altered in scope for this book; see The School of Universal Magic.
Illusion/Phantasm spells seek to deceive the minds or senses of others with false or semi-substantial images and effects. Phantasmal force is a good example, as well as spells such as mirror image, invisibility, or blur.
Invocation/Evocation spells channel magical energy to create specific effects and materials. For example, lightning bolt manifests this energy in the form of a powerful stream of electricity.
Necromancy is a school concerned with the manipulation of the forces of life and death. Necromancy spells include those that simulate the effects of undead creatures, such as vampiric touch, and more direct assaults on life energy like death spell or finger of death.
Universal Magic: In this book, the school of lesser divination is expanded and renamed to include a number of spells that all wizards should have access to. Consider universal magic to be Sorcery 101; without the basic spells in this school, wizards are incapable of continuing their studies in the other schools of magic. Therefore, all wizards have access to the spells in this school, regardless of specialization. The school of universal magic is described in more detail below.
Creating a New School of Philosophy: In most campaigns, the schools of philosophy represent the baseline or standard against which other forms of magic are measured. Almost all spells can be described through this system of magic, with very few exceptions. For a wizard to develop a new school of philosophy, he would have to devise a class of spells that all share a common approach or methodology. Most likely, a group of related spells that already exist in one school or another would have to be used as the starting point for a new school. It’s much easier to build a new school of effect or thaumaturgy than to build a new school of philosophy. The Complete Wizard’s Handbook suggests a school of transmutation that concentrates on spells that change one element or material into one other element or material. Another possibility might be a school of animation, centering on spells that provide motive force to inanimate objects.
Schools of Effect
A second scheme for organizing wizard magic is by effect. The Tome of Magic presented a new type of wizard who could specialize in schools of effect: the elementalist wizard. Player’s Option: Skills & Powers introduced the shadow mage, another specialist wizard built around a school of effect.
Schools of effect differ from schools of philosophy in that the spells of the school all share one common result or ingredient. For example, the spells of the school of fire all involve fire in some way, without regard for what the spell accomplishes. Divinations, the direction and control of energy, and the summoning of elementals can all be linked by the common effect of fire. The schools of effect are described below:
Air: The elemental school of air naturally includes any air-based spell or effect, including spells that control or affect wind, breathing, falling and flight, air elementals, and other elemental phenomena. Gust of wind or cloudkill are examples of air spells.
Earth: Spells of elemental earth are based around stone-, earth-, or mineral-based effects. Dig, stone shape and stone to flesh are earth spells.
Fire: Any spell involving the manifestation of flame or heat is a spell of elemental fire. Not all fire spells are attack spells; fire charm and affect normal fires are examples of fire spells that don’t cause direct and immediate damage to the wizard’s enemies.
Water: Last but not least in the elemental schools, spells of the school of elemental water involve water in some form or another, including spells of ice and cold, since these are linked to the element of water. Water breathing, ice storm, and part water are all included in the school of elemental water.
Dimensional Magic: This is a new school introduced in Player’s Option: Spells & Magic. While all AD&D spells draw power from outside the mage, dimensionalists go one step further—they draw their power from another dimension. Like most schools of effect, the school of dimensional magic overlaps several pre-existing schools, including alteration, conjuration/summoning, and invocation spells.
Force: The school of force is a new school of effect presented later in this book. A force mage relies on spells that create or manipulate fields of cohesive energy, such as wall of force, magic missile, or any of the various Bigby’s hand spells. Many spells of this school are borrowed from the school of invocation/evocation.
Shadow: All the spells in this school are linked by the common effects of shadow and darkness. The shadow mage can make use of a number of illusion spells dealing with the Demiplane of Shadow and shadowstuff, including shadow monsters, darkness 15’ radius, and shadow walk. He also has access to a number of necromancy spells. Although necromancy and illusion are opposing philosophies, schools of effect ignore these restrictions and concentrate on results.
Creating a School of Effect: Again, all spells in a school of effect are cast with the standard execution of somatic, verbal, and material components. Creating a new school of effect is far easier than coming up with a new school of philosophy; there are any number of common spell results or special effects that can be linked in this way. For example, a school of light could be designed around spells that produce bright visible effects, or a school of circles could be designed around any spell effect that is circular or spherical in form.
Schools of Thaumaturgy
A school of thaumaturgy defines a specific method or procedure of spellcasting that varies from the standard execution of a spell’s components. Several schools of thaumaturgy were presented in Player’s Option: Skills & Powers—the school of song, the school of alchemy, and the school of geometry. In addition, other schools of thaumaturgy have appeared in specific campaign settings. The defiler of the Dark Sun campaign is a mage whose spells are executed through the draining of life energy from his surroundings. The sha’ir of the Al-Qadim setting casts his spells by sending a servant gen, or minor genie, to fetch the spell and bring it back to him.
Spells belonging to a school of thaumaturgy are not linked by philosophy or effect—instead, they’re related by the manner in which they are physically cast. In fact, the "standard" approach to wizard magic defined by the eight philosophical schools represents one common thaumaturgical method. Other thaumaturgical methods include the following schools:
The School of Alchemy: In this approach to magic, spell effects are achieved through the combination of unusual material components. Spells such as affect normal fires, glitterdust, and cloudkill can all be cast through the use of strange powders and reagents, and belong to the school of alchemy.
The School of Artifice: This is a new school introduced here for the first time. Artificers are weak in the direct command of magic and instead use various devices and magical items to focus their energies. Spells such as Melf’s minute meteors and magic staff are included in the school of artifice.
The School of Geometry: Geometers use diagrams, symbols, and complex patterns to cast their spells. Naturally, any spell involving some kind of writing, marking, or pattern belongs to the school of geometry, including spells such as explosive runes, sepia snake sigil, and symbol.
The School of Song: While alchemists rely on material components and geometers rely on somatic components, a song mage uses the power of his voice to summon and shape spell energy. Any spell that involves speaking, singing, or some other use of the caster’s vocal powers belongs to the school of song. Sleep, charm monster, and Otto’s irresistible dance are all examples of spells of this school.
The School of Wild Magic: Some wizards have learned to make use of the principles of randomness in their magic, giving rise to the school of wild magic. Wild mages shape the raw, uncontrollable stuff of magic in the hope that something resembling their intended spell will appear. A number of wild magic spells such as vortex and waveform appeared in the Tome of Magic; if you do not have access to that book, you should probably ignore this school.
The School of Universal Magic
As described in the Player’s Handbook, the school of divination is actually composed of lesser divinations and greater divinations. A few specialist mages are barred from greater divination as an opposition school, but every specialist wizard is considered to have access to lesser divination. In this book, the school of lesser divination is replaced by the school of universal magic. This includes a few basic divination and nondivination spells that all wizards should have access to, such as dispel magic and enchant an item. Any wizard may cast spells of this school, regardless of his or her specialty.
The divination spells of both the schools of lesser and greater divination are now considered to be part of one school of divination. Spells such as ESP, clairaudience, and clairvoyance are part of the school of divination and may not be available to wizards who formerly had access to them as lesser divinations. Refer to Appendix 3 for the revised spell organization.
Important Note: Wizards do not automatically know universal spells. They must study and attempt to learn the spells of this school, just like any other spells. However, when a wizard character is first created, he automatically begins play with any 1st-level universal spells of his choice in his spell book, although these count against the character’s limit of beginning spells.
The school of universal magic consists of the following spells:
cantrip (1st) wizard lock (2nd)
comprehend languages (1st) dispel magic (3rd)
detect magic (1st) remove curse (4th)
hold portal (1st) teleport (5th)
identify (1st) enchant an item (6th)
read magic (1st) teleport without error (7th)
wizard mark (1st) permanency (8th)
knock (2nd) astral spell (9th)
protection from cantrips (2nd)
Most of the low-level spells on this list enable the wizard to undertake his basic studies in books of arcane lore and safeguard his laboratory and spell book against intruders. Teleport, teleport without error, and astral spell are included since the ability to travel vast distances in the blink of an eye is a common power among wizards in fantasy literature. Last but not least, enchant an item and permanency are universal magic because every wizard should have the ability to create magical items when he or she reaches the appropriate level.
Wizard Characters A player creating a wizard character has one basic decision to make when the character is first rolled up— should his character specialize in a school of magic, or should he remain a mage? A mage is equally capable in all schools of magic and may freely learn and cast spells from any school. A specialist wizard gains several important benefits when dealing with his own school, but loses access to certain spells that belong to opposition schools.
As noted in the Player’s Handbook, wizards may not wear armor and are limited in their selection of weapons to the dagger, dart, knife, sling, and staff. (Some character kits may allow additional weapon choices.) In addition, characters constructed with the Player’s Option: Skills & Powers rules or the expanded character point rules in this book may pay extra character points in order to gain access to better weapons or protective equipment.
All wizards may create magical potions or scrolls after reaching 9th level by using the magical item creation rules in this book. (The alchemist and geometer gain this ability earlier in their careers.) Wizards may also create other types of magical items upon reaching 11th level. Any wizard may attempt to research new spells, regardless of level.
The Wizard’s Spell Book
A 1st-level wizard begins play with 3d4 1st-level spells in his spell book, two of which must be read magic and detect magic. Once these two have been included in the spell book, the player may select any other 1st-level spells of the school of universal magic without making a learn spells roll. In addition, a specialist wizard may automatically choose one spell of his specialty to begin play with. Beyond these selections, the player must attempt a learn spells check for any additional spells he wishes his character to know, with the normal penalties or bonuses for specialization. Optionally, the DM may assign a beginning wizard character read magic, detect magic, and four other spells of the DM’s choice.
Adding Spells to the Wizard’s Repertoire: As a wizard continues with his adventuring career, he will encounter new spells that he may wish to add to his spell book. In addition, mages may add a spell to their book whenever they reach a new spell level, while specialist wizards are allowed to add one spell of their specialty to their spell books each time they gain an experience level. Last but not least, the DM may allow a PC wizard to purchase spells from an NPC wizard or organization. The price should be a spell of equal level that the NPC doesn’t know, a magical item other than a potion or scroll, or at least 1,000 gp per level of the spell in question.
Mage
Ability Requirements: Intelligence 9
Prime Requisite: Intelligence
Races Allowed: Human, Elf, Half-elf
The mage remains largely unchanged by the material presented in Player’s Option: Skills & Powers. A mage may learn and cast spells of any school (except wild magic) using the normal wizard spell progression table and learn spells rolls. Naturally, mages may make use of many of the new spells and magical items introduced in this book.
Mages with an Intelligence score of 16 or higher gain a 10% bonus to the experience points they earn. Mages never attract followers, but there’s no reason a mage couldn’t buy property and hire mercenaries whenever he accumulates sufficient wealth.
Specialist Wizard
Ability Requirements: Varies
Prime Requisite: Intelligence
Races Allowed: Varies
Wizards who concentrate their efforts in one school of magic are known as specialist wizards. Generally, a specialist wizard must give up some degree of versatility in spell selection—he cannot learn or cast spells belonging to schools that oppose his own chosen school. The specialist also has several other benefits and restrictions; unless otherwise stated, all specialists must abide by the benefits and hindrances described below:
Specialist wizards may memorize one additional spell per spell level, provided the spell selected belongs to the specialist’s school. Under this rule, a 1st-level specialist may have two spells memorized instead of only one.
Specialists gain a bonus of +1 when making saving throws against spells of their own school. Specialists also inflict a –1 penalty to their victims’ saving throw attempts when casting a spell of their specialty school.
Specialist wizards gain a bonus of +15% when learning spells from their school, but suffer a penalty of –15% when learning spells from any other school. Specialists cannot learn spells belonging to an opposition school.
When a specialist reaches a new level, he automatically gains one spell of his school to add to his spell book. No roll for learning the spell need be made.
When a specialist wizard attempts to create a new spell through research, the spell is treated as if it were one level lower if it falls within the wizard’s specialty school.
Table 1:
Philosophy Specialist Requirements
Specialist Race Abilities Opposition
School(s)
Abjurer H 15 Wis Alteration, Illusion
Conjurer H, 1/2E 15 Con Divination, Invoc./Evoc.
Diviner H, 1/2E, E 16 Wis Conj./Summ.
Enchanter H, 1/2E, E 16 Cha Invoc./Evoc., Necro.
Illusionist H, G 16 Dex Necro., Invoc./Evoc., Abjur.
Invoker H 16 Con Ench./Charm, Conj./Summ.
Necromancer H 16 Wis Illusion, Ench./Charm
Transmuter H, 1/2E 15 Dex Abjur., Necro.
H: Human; 1/2E: Half-elf; E: Elf; G: Gnome.
Specialists in Schools of
Philosophy
A wizard specializing in a school of philosophy adheres to the general rules above. Depending on his choice of school, the specialist will have anywhere from one to three opposition schools. Each specialty has different race and ability score requirements, reflecting the unique nature of each field of study. See Table 1: Philosophy Specialist Requirements.
In The Complete Wizard’s Handbook, each specialist received several additional abilities related to his chosen field at high levels. These abilities have been reworked, and specialists now receive them much earlier in their careers. They are optional; if the DM decides that they aren’t appropriate, the additional powers are unavailable for PC specialist wizards.
Abjurer: The abjurer specializes in the school of abjuration, commanding magical energies that provide various forms of protection to himself and his companions. A wizard must have strength of will to master this school of magic, so a high Wisdom score (Wisdom/Willpower, if Player’s Option: Skills & Powers is available) is a requirement for an abjurer. The abjurer cannot learn spells from the schools of alteration or illusion.
Abjurers enjoy the normal benefits and hindrances of specialist wizards. In addition, at 8th level the abjurer gains a +1 bonus to saving throws vs. paralyzation, poison, and death magic. At 11th level an abjurer’s base Armor Class improves by 1 point due to his command of protective magic, and at 14th level the abjurer gains immunity to all forms of hold spells.
Abjurers have few spells that can directly inflict damage, but their protective enchantments can help them protect their comrades from harm in battle. They are also extremely effective against enemy spellcasters and creatures of extraplanar or unusual origins.
Conjurer: Specializing in spells of conjuration and summoning, the conjurer has access to some of the most useful spells in the game. Conjurations are some of the most physically demanding spells, and a wizard must have a Constitution (or Constitution/Health) score of at least 15 in order to be a conjurer. Conjuration/summoning is opposed by divination and invocation/evocation.
All the normal benefits and hindrances of specialist wizards apply to conjurers. In addition, at 11th level a conjurer gains the ability to cast conjuration and summoning spells without any material components. At 14th level, the conjurer gains the power to instantly dispel creatures conjured by an opponent who has used monster summoning or an equivalent spell. The conjurer can dispel up to 10 HD worth of creatures with this ability simply by pointing at the target and concentrating one round. Only creatures with 5 HD or less are affected, so a conjurer could dispel three 3 HD creatures, two 5 HD creatures, or any combination that does not exceed 10 HD. The conjurer may use this ability up to three times per day.
The conjurer’s spells can be very potent in combat, especially if used to multiply the party’s numbers through the summoning of allies.
Diviner: It’s unusual for a player character to choose this specialty, but NPC diviners are fairly common. Diviners concentrate on spells that reveal or relay information, and information can be a weapon far more dangerous than the sharpest sword. Divination requires patience and insight; a wizard must have a Wisdom (Wisdom/Intuition) of 16 or better to be a diviner. Divination is opposed by conjuration/ summoning.
Diviners have the normal strengths and weaknesses of specialty wizards. In addition, at 11th level the diviner gains the ability to use find traps (a 2nd-level priest spell) up to three times per day by pointing in a specific direction and concentrating one round. At 14th level, the diviner becomes immune to all forms of scrying spells such as ESP, know alignment, or clairaudience; characters trying to use these divinations against the diviner simply get no response at all.
A diviner is very limited in his combat ability and must rely on spells outside his school for anything resembling a damaging attack. However, a diviner in a PC party can be surprisingly effective by providing advice and information. With a diviner around, a party can look for ways to strike at an enemy’s weakest points and to maximize its efficiency in battle.
Enchanter: The enchanter’s specialty lies in controlling or influencing his targets with his spells. The school of enchantment/charm also includes a number of spells that imbue nonliving items with magical powers. Because the greater part of their spell selection involves influencing other people, enchanters must have a Charisma (Charisma/ Appearance, under Skills & Powers rules) score of 16 or higher. Enchantment/charm is opposed by invocation/ evocation and necromancy.
Enchanters have the usual benefits and restrictions of a specialist wizard. In addition, when an enchanter reaches 11th level, he gains the ability to cast a special free action spell once per day on himself or any creature he touches. The casting time is only 1, and no material components are required; the spell duplicates the effects of the 4th-level priest spell free action and lasts for one hour. At 14th level, the enchanter acquires immunity to all forms of the charm spell.
While the enchanter’s spells are not spectacular in effect, they are also among the subtlest of spells. In many cases, turning an enemy into an ally is far more effective and desirable than simply incinerating him, and enchanters excel at mind-affecting magic. Careful interrogation of charmed enemies can also provide a wealth of useful information for the enchanter.
Illusionist: Masters of deceit and trickery, illusionists have access to a variety of powerful spells that can be far more dangerous than simple attack spells. Illusionists must have a minimum Dexterity (Dexterity/Aim) score of 16 to perform the intricate gestures and patterns required by spells of their school. The school of illusion/phantasm is opposed by necromancy, invocation/evocation, and abjuration.
Illusionists gain the normal benefits of specialist wizards. When an illusionist reaches 8th level, he gains an additional +1 bonus to his saving throws against illusion spells cast by nonillusionists. (This is cumulative with his normal +1 bonus, for a total of +2). At 11th level, the illusionist gains the ability to cast a special dispel phantasmal force or dispel improved phantasmal force up to three times per day. The base chance of success is 50%, ±5% per level difference between the illusionist and the caster of the phantasmal force; for example, if a 16th-level illusionist is attempting to dispel an illusion cast by a 9th-level wizard, his chance of success is 85%. The dispel has a range of 30 yards and a casting time of 1; the illusionist need only point at the illusion and concentrate. If the illusionist attempts to dispel something that turns out to be real, the attempt still counts against his limit of three dispels per day.
An illusionist can be extremely effective in combat despite his lack of high-powered damaging spells, especially if he concentrates on creating distractions and false opponents for his enemies. Every sword swing directed at an illusion is one less that’s aimed at the illusionist and his companions. Illusionists should always seek creative and unusual uses for their spells; of all the specialist wizards, they require the most player originality to be run effectively.
Invoker: The invoker is the direct antithesis to the illusionist. Where the illusionist deals in subtleties and suggestion, the invoker deals in naked force, summoning and controlling massive energies. The invoker requires a Constitution (Constitution/Fitness) score of 16 or better to withstand the physical stress of this specialty. The school of invocation is opposed by enchantment/charm and conjuration/summoning.
In addition to the normal advantages and disadvantages of specialization, the invoker gains an additional +1 bonus to saving throws vs. invocation/evocation spells when he reaches 8th level, for a total of +2. At 11th level, this increases to +3. (These bonuses also apply to magical items that simulate invocation spells, such as a wand of fire.) At 14th level, the invoker acquires immunity to one invocation or evocation spell of 3rd level or lower of his choice; however, this immunity does not extend to similar magical items or breath weapons.
The invoker is a valuable asset to the party on the battlefield, where his spectacular spells can decimate hordes of low-level monsters or severely injure tougher opponents. Unfortunately, fear of the invoker’s firepower leads many opponents to attack the wizard in the hope of disabling him before he can blast them to ashes.
Necromancer: Students of this school delve into forbidden lore and dark secrets in their quest to understand and control the forces of life and death. A character must be extraordinarily strong of will in order to succeed at these studies—a wizard must have a Wisdom (Wisdom/Willpower) of 16 or higher in order to choose necromancy as his specialty. Necromancy is opposed by illusion and enchantment/charm.
Necromancers gain the standard benefits for being specialist wizards. At 8th level, his saving throw bonus versus necromancy spells increases to a total of +2. At 11th level, the necromancer gains a special speak with dead spell-like ability that requires no verbal or material components; the wizard need only point at the deceased person and concentrate for one round. This spell functions like the 3rd-level priest spell speak with dead, except that the necromancer may converse for up to one turn and ask four questions of the spirit. At 14th level, the necromancer gains a partial resistance to the special effects of undead attacks; although he still suffers the normal damage of any such attack, he gains a +2 to saving throws against strength drain, paralyzation, and other effects. He may attempt a saving throw vs. death magic with a –4 penalty to avoid the effects of any attack that normally does not allow a save, such as a wight or wraith’s energy drain.
The necromancer commands a variety of powerful spells, but these are not generally as useful on the battlefield as the invoker’s powers. The necromancer’s best strategy is to concentrate on one important enemy at a time, using the nefarious spells of this school to disable the enemy’s leaders and champions. Necromancers can also be very useful in dealing with undead of all sorts.
Transmuter: The most versatile of the specialist wizards is the transmuter, specializing in the school of alteration. The school of alteration is the largest of the schools of philosophy, giving the transmuter access to a variety of powers and abilities. In order to master the complicated somatic gestures of this school, a wizard must have a Dexterity (Dexterity/Aim) of 15 or higher to become a transmuter. The school of alteration is opposed by the schools of necromancy and abjuration.
Transmuters have the normal benefits and restrictions of specialist wizards. In addition, they gain an additional +1 bonus to their saving throws versus alteration spells and related magical effects (such as a wand of polymorph) when they reach 8th level, for a total of +2. At 11th level, this increases to +3.
Transmuters command a number of useful spells. Their offensive and defensive capabilities are quite formidable, and they also have access to spells such as haste or strength that can drastically enhance the whole party’s fighting power. Despite their skill in battle, transmuters are at their best when overcoming obstacles; there is a great range of generally useful alteration spells such as passwall and fly which may make it possible for transmuters to avoid fights altogether.
Table 2:
Effect Specialist Requirements
Specialist Race Abilities Opposition
School(s)
Elementalist H Standard Special
Dimensionalist H, 1/2E Int 16 Ench./Charm, Necro.
Force Mage H, 1/2E Int 12, Con 15 Alteration, Divination
Mentalist H Int 15, Wis 16 Invoc./Evoc., Necro.
Shadow Mage H Int 15, Wis 16 Invoc./Evoc., Abjuration
H: Human; 1/2E: Half-elf
Specialists in Schools of Effect
The schools of effect are organized along different lines than the schools of philosophy. This alternate approach to magic and specialization means that elementalists and other effect specialists don’t necessarily enjoy the same benefits and penalties of philosophical specialists. These exceptions are explained below in the descriptions of the individual specialist wizards.
Just like the schools of philosophy, specialization in a school of effect generally requires a wizard to meet higher ability score criteria than that required of a basic mage (see Table 2: Effect Specialist Requirements).
Elementalist: First introduced in the Tome of Magic, elementalists are wizards who specialize in spells dealing with one of the four elements—air, earth, fire, or water. Elementalists ignore the "normal" structure of the philosophical school. Instead, all spells are designated as either elemental spells or nonelemental spells. Furthermore, elemental spells are divided into spells of each of the four elements. An elementalist is barred from casting spells of the element that opposes his particular specialty; fire mages cannot cast water spells, air mages can’t use earth spells, and vice versa. (Refer to Appendix 3 for a list of wizard spells by school.)
Fire
|
Air — opposes — Earth
|
Water
Elementalists enjoy most of the standard benefits and restrictions of specialist wizards, but there are some minor differences. They gain the benefit of memorizing an extra spell of each level, as long as it is taken from their preferred element. An elementalist gains a +2 bonus to saving throws against spells of his particular specialty (fire for fire mages, etc.) and inflicts a –2 penalty to his opponents’ saves when casting spells of his specialty. Elementalists gain a +25% bonus to learn spells of their specialty, and a +15% bonus for other elemental spells that don’t actually oppose their specialty. For example, a fire mage has a +25% bonus to learn fire spells, and a +15% bonus to learn air and earth spells; he can’t learn water spells at all. Elementalists suffer a –25% penalty to learn all other nonelemental spells. Last but not least, elementalists research spells of their specialty as if the spells were one level lower than their actual level.
Note that elementalists do not automatically add a spell to their spell book when they gain a level, as other specialists do. However, an elemental specialist has the ability to cast one memorized spell of his specialty per day as if he were 1d4 levels higher. This affects range, duration, area of effect, and damage. When an elementalist reaches 11th level, he does not need to concentrate to control an elemental of his specialty that was summoned through conjure elemental. At 14th level, there is no chance for a summoned elemental to turn on the elementalist.
While the elemental schools tend to be small, the elementalists’ abilities generally exceed those of normal specialists. Elemental wizards of earth and fire have a potent range of attack spells and can equal the firepower of an invoker. Wizards of air and water tend to have fewer damaging spells, but have access to better travel and support powers.
Elementalists can be used to portray magicians of unusual cultures or origin. After all, the standard philosophical arrangement of schools implies a scholarly, Western approach to magic, but not every culture or nation may have the same beliefs or practices regarding sorcery. Many elementalists are much closer to nature, or more attuned to their surroundings, than philosophical specialists.
Dimensionalist: This uncommon specialist is a student of magic that relies on the manipulation of space, time, and dimension. The dimensionalist is familiar with all kinds of extradimensional pockets, planes, and sources of power. While other wizards can make use of these dimensions, the dimensionalist has a much clearer understanding of what he is doing and why when he casts spells of this school. Non-Euclidean geometry and planar relationships are difficult material, even for a wizard; a character must have an Intelligence (Intelligence/Reason in the Skills & Powers rules) of 16 or better to grasp the more esoteric concepts required to master this kind of magic.
The school of dimensional magic is listed in Appendix 3 of this book. It includes spells such as rope trick, dimension door, distance distortion, and maze. Dimensional magic is opposed by the schools of enchantment/charm and necromancy, since these philosophies have nothing to do with extraplanar studies or spells.
The dimensional specialist gains the normal advantages for specialization as described earlier in this chapter; spells belonging to the school of dimensional magic are listed in Appendix 3. At 8th level, the dimensionalist gains the power to disappear by stepping into a pocket dimension once per day. While in the pocket dimension, he is detectable only by spells that can discern dimensional openings and is immune to any attack, but he also has no way of knowing what’s happening in the place he left until he chooses to step back into the real world. The dimensionalist may remain for up to one hour before he is forced to exit and can take any actions he desires (sleeping, reading, drinking a potion, or so on) while inside. Note that the pocket dimension’s point of exit is always the exact same place the dimensionalist entered the dimension. Also, no spells that would allow the dimensionalist to leave the pocket without first reentering the real world can function in the extradimensional place, including teleport, dimension door, shadow walk, and similar enchantments. At 11th level, the dimensionalist may bring one other human-sized creature or an object weighing less than 500 pounds with him; at 14th level, he may bring up to five companions or an object weighing 1,500 pounds.
The dimensionalist is a very unusual wizard, with access to some of the strangest spells in the game. A high-level dimensionalist can be a confounding opponent, calling on rarely seen powers to trap or misdirect his enemies. Dimensionalists have few attack spells, but excel in avoiding trouble or circumventing obstacles.
Force Mage: Some of the most powerful spells available to a wizard consist of force—cohesive magical energy that can be shaped into fields, walls, or blades. Force is energy that simulates solid matter; it is impervious to normal matter and can be used to exert physical pressure on creatures or objects. A force mage specializes in spells that conjure and manipulate magical force. Force spells are difficult and taxing to a wizard, and a character must have an Intelligence of 12 or better and a minimum Constitution of 15 (Intelligence/Knowledge and Constitution/Health) to choose this specialty.
Naturally, the school of force includes wall of force and the Bigby’s hand spells. However, spells such as magic missile and Mordenkainen’s sword also make use of magical force. The schools of alteration and divination oppose the school of force, since these have nothing to do with the summoning or manipulation of magical energy.
Force mages have the usual advantages and disadvantages of specialist wizards. (Refer to Appendix 3 for the complete list of spells belonging to this school.) At 8th level, force mages gain an additional +1 bonus to their saving throws versus force spells or effects, for a total of +2. When a force mage reaches 11th level, he gains the ability to attempt a saving throw for half-effect against any force spell that causes damage, whether or not it allows a save. For example, an 11th-level force mage struck by a magic missile spell may attempt to save for half damage, despite the fact that magic missile normally allows no saving throw. At 14th level, the force mage’s saving throw bonus increases to +3 against magical force.
Force mages are skilled in battle; most of their spells are designed to hinder, incapacitate, or destroy their enemies. However, they do not enjoy a great variety of spells and must get along without access to two of the most useful schools available—divination and alteration.
Mentalist: In worlds where psionics are rare or unknown, some wizards take up the study of mind-affecting spells and enchantments. The mentalist is such a character. Although the mentalist is closely related to the enchanter, the mentalist’s spells focus more exclusively on the mind. Of course, this is a complicated area of study, and a great understanding of the human psyche is required for success; the wizard must have an Intelligence of 15 and Wisdom of 16 (Intelligence/Knowledge and Wisdom/Intuition) to become a mentalist.
The school of mentalism includes spells such as ESP, domination, and suggestion. It is opposed by the schools of alteration and necromancy; a list of the spells belonging to the school of mentalism appears in Appendix 3.
Mentalists gain the normal benefits and hindrances of a specialist wizard. When a mentalist reaches 8th level, his saving throw bonus against mentalism spells and effects increases to +2. At 11th level, the mentalist gains the ability to detect charm or mental influence three times per day by pointing at the individual to be examined and concentrating one round. This power resembles the priest spell detect charm, but only one creature can be scanned per use. When the mentalist reaches 14th level, he can dispel charm or mental influence once per day with a 50% chance of success. This is modified by ±5% per level/Hit Die difference between the mentalist and the caster of the charm. The mentalist must be within 10 yards of the subject and must concentrate for one round in order to use this power.
The mentalist is a wizard who deals in subtleties and influences. The mentalist is not at his best in open battle against hordes of enemies, but he can be an extraordinarily effective character in investigations or confrontations against single enemies.
Table 3:
Shadow Mage Target Saving Throw
Modifiers
Lighting Conditions Modifier
Bright daylight/continual light +2
Weak daylight/dusk/light none
Twilight/moonlight/lantern light –1
Weak moonlight/torch light –2
Candlelight/starlight –3
Total darkness –4
Shadow Mage: Shadow mages are students of the power of darkness and twilight. While shadow mages are not necessarily evil, most tend to be grim characters who are at home in the darkness. The school of shadow is built around the thesis that all shadows are actually connected in some mystical way in the Demiplane of Shadow; the shadow mage’s repertoire of spells reflects this belief. Shadow mages must be keen-minded individuals; a character must have an Intelligence of 15 and a Wisdom of 16 (Intelligence/Reason and Wisdom/Will) in order to select this specialty. The school of shadow is opposed by the schools of invocation/evocation and abjuration.
The shadow mage follows the normal rules for specialist wizards, with one notable exception: the target’s saving throw modifiers are tied to the prevalent lighting conditions, and range from +2 to –4. The shadow mage himself receives no saving throw modifiers versus spells of any kind (see Table 3: Shadow Mage Target Saving Throw Modifiers).
Shadow mages also gain the ability to see in darkness due to their connection with the plane of gloom. At 4th level, the shadow mage sees as well in moonlight as a normal human does by broad daylight, and all darkness-based combat penalties are reduced by 1 point. At 7th level, he can see perfectly by starlight and reduces combat penalties for darkness by 2 points. At 10th level, the shadow mage can see perfectly in total darkness, negating all combat penalties. Note that magical blindness or fog can still impair the wizard’s vision.
The shadow mage’s spells are both powerful and subtle. Of all the specialist wizards, he makes the best spy or infiltrator, especially by night. While the shadow mage isn’t very well-suited for open battle, his spells are perfect for solitary confrontations.
Table 4:
Thaumaturgical Specialist
Requirements
Specialist Race Abilities Opposition
School(s)
Alchemist H Int 15, Dex 14 Illusion, Necromancy
Artificer H, G Int 12, Con 15 Necro., Ench./Charm
Geometer H, E, 1/2E Int 15, Wis 14 Ench./Charm, Illusion
Song Mage H, E, 1/2E Int 14, Cha 15 Necro., Div., Invoc./Evoc.
Wild Mage H, E, 1/2E Int 16 none
H: Human; 1/2E: Half-elf; G: Gnome
Specialists in Schools of
Thaumaturgy
While the schools of effect and the schools of philosophy differ in the way in which spells are assigned to the various schools, the schools of thaumaturgy represent an entirely different way of thinking. The thaumaturgical schools discard the normal methods and mechanics of wizard magic to concentrate on new ways of summoning and controlling magical power. In this scheme of magic, spells are organized by method of casting, not effect or method of operation.
Since the schools of thaumaturgy represent a more radical departure from the normal scheme of magic, the benefits and disadvantages of specialization vary from school to school. In addition, the thaumaturgical specialists generally have high ability score requirements, as shown in Table 4: Thaumaturgical Specialist Requirements.
Alchemist: This specialist was first presented in Player’s Option: Skills & Powers. The alchemist’s whole work is based on the four classical elements of air, earth, fire, and water. In other words, the alchemist considers gold (for example) to be a combination of earth and fire. Alchemists are the most scientifically-minded wizards, and they experiment constantly in search of knowledge. In order to be an alchemist, a wizard must have an excellent education in the sciences (minimum Intelligence or Intelligence/Knowledge of 15) and a steady hand for experimentation (Dexterity or Dexterity/Aim of 14). The school of alchemy is opposed by the schools of illusion and necromancy; a list of alchemy spells appears in Appendix 3.
The alchemist must maintain a large, well-equipped laboratory. The character is assumed to begin play with a suitable facility in his home town or base of operations, but building and equipping a new laboratory costs at least 1,000 gp per character level, and existing laboratories cost 50 gp per level each month to maintain. An alchemist without a laboratory loses access to the bonus spell provided by specialization and can’t conduct research, make potions, or add new spells to his spell book.
Alchemists enjoy the normal benefits of specialization, but have no saving throw modifiers for their own saves or their targets’ saves.
At 6th level, the alchemist gains the ability to create potions. This is a special chemical process that doesn’t involve magical materials or processes, but it tends to be longer and more tedious than normal potion brewing. First, the character must research the potion’s formula, just like conducting spell research; consider the potion’s level to be equal to its experience point (XP) value divided by 100. For example, a potion of clairaudience (250 XP) is treated as a 3rd-level spell for this purpose, while a potion of longevity (500 XP) is equivalent to a 5th-level spell. It takes two weeks per potion level to research the formula, at a cost of 500 gp per potion level. The alchemist must roll learn spells to find out if he learned the spell before he can be considered successful in his research. The maximum number of potion formulae he can know is limited by the maximum number of spells per level score that is determined by his Intelligence (see Table 4: Intelligence in the PHB). A character with an Intelligence of 15, for example, can know up to 11 potion formulae.
Once a character has successfully researched a potion’s formula, he can produce one dose by investing 3d6 x 100 gp in materials and spending one uninterrupted week in his laboratory. Again, he must pass the learn spells check to see if he followed the directions correctly, with a +1% bonus per character level. While the alchemist doesn’t have to adventure to acquire rare or unusual materials for potions, he may still have to take time to make arrangements for special requirements, such as the delivery of unusual chemicals or glassware.
Bordun the Chemist
wishes to create a potion of fire resistance, since his thief friend
wants to pilfer a dragon’s hoard. The potion has an XP value of 250, so it must
be researched as a 3rd-level spell. This requires 6 weeks, and costs a total of
1,500 gp—Bordun’s alchemical research is more difficult than normal potion
research, but requires no unusual materials. Bordun makes his learn spells
check, and his research is productive!
Having concluded his
research, Bordun sets out to brew a potion of fire resistance from his
formula. This takes one week, and costs him 3d6 x 100 gp (the DM rolls a 15,
for 1,500 gp—ouch!) He must attempt a second learn spells check to execute the
formula correctly, with a +7% bonus (he’s a 7th-level wizard), and he succeeds
again. Bordun now has one potion of fire resistance and can brew more without
conducting his research all over again.
The alchemist has access to a small number of attack and defense spells, but he excels in enchantments that alter or analyze materials. Note that the spells of the school of alchemy are considered to have no verbal component when cast by an alchemist, since they consist of combinations of reagents prepared by the wizard—an alchemist has little to fear from a silence 15’ radius spell.
Artificer: The school of artifice is composed of spells that store or channel magical energy through items carried by the wizard. In effect, the artificer is a wizard who creates temporary magical items for his own use. The advantages of this thaumaturgical method lie in the wizard’s ability to increase his spell power by carrying extra spells in various magical items and to unleash powerful enchantments with a single command word. A wizard must have an Intelligence (Intelligence/Knowledge) of 12 and a Constitution of 15 (Constitution/ Health) in order to choose this specialty. The school of artifice is opposed by the school of necromancy and those spells in the school of enchantment/charm which affect living beings.
Like the alchemist, the artificer must maintain a well-equipped laboratory and workshop. A 1st-level artificer begins play with a suitable facility in his base of operations. Building a new laboratory costs at least 1,000 gp per character level, and existing laboratories cost 50 gp per level to maintain each month. An artificer without a laboratory loses access to the bonus spell provided by specialization, and can’t conduct research, make magical items, or add new spells to his spell book.
Artificers have the normal benefits and restrictions of specialist wizards, but have no saving throw modifiers and impose no saving throw penalties on the targets of their spells. At 4th level, the artificer gains the ability to store spells in prepared items, saving his memorization slots for other spells. Once placed in an item, a stored spell may be indefinitely retained for ready casting. The spell to be stored must be one which the wizard knows and can cast; at any given time, a wizard may have no more total spell levels stored than his own character level, so a 5th-level artificer could store up to five levels of spells.
Preparing an item to receive one stored spell requires one uninterrupted week of work, and the actual process of casting the spell into the item requires one day and 500 gp per level of the spell. The item must be of the finest workmanship, worth at least 100 gp; after the spell it holds has been discharged, the artificer can re-enchant it. Only the artificer may release the stored spell, with a casting time of 1; in all other respects the spell is treated as if the artificer had cast it normally. Also, an item can only contain one spell at a time. Any attempt to cast another spell into the item will simply replace the current spell. In effect, this ability allows the artificer to create one-shot magical items such as a ring enchanted with feather fall or a cloak prepared with protection from normal missiles.
At 7th level, the artificer may create a temporary magical item. Any magical item in the DMG not specifically restricted to nonwizards is allowed, but the item will function only for the artificer. This is a special ability unrelated to the enchant an item spell. First, the artificer must successfully research the item creation process, taking one week per 500 XP value of the item and spending at least 100 gp per week. This time is halved if the artificer has a sample of the item to copy or if he succeeds in a contact other plane, legend lore, or other research spell. The artificer must pass a learn spells check to succeed and may never know the processes for more magical items than his maximum number of spells per level. Actually building and enchanting the item requires half the research time and 2d6 x 100 gp, plus the cost of the item itself. Fine materials must be used, but rare and exotic materials and processes aren’t necessary for temporary items (see Chapter 7). After completing the work, the artificer must pass another learn spells check to successfully enchant the temporary item.
A temporary item lasts 1d6 days, plus one day per level of the artificer. Once the enchantment fades, the item can be re-enchanted with one uninterrupted week of work, the expenditure of 2d6 x 100 gp, and another learn spells check. If the temporary item normally possesses charges, the artificer automatically places one charge per level into the item when creating it.
Selthos the wizard desires a carpet of flying, since he wishes to
investigate an old tower perched high on an inaccessible peak. Looking up the
carpet’s XP value (7,500 XP), the player realizes that it will take 15 weeks
just to research the item! Selthos decides that a carpet of flying is too
formidable a challenge and searches for a cheaper alternative. Investigating
his alternatives, he decides that a cloak of the bat (1,500 XP) is a much more
palatable option.
Selthos begins his research, working for three weeks and spending a total
of 1,000 gp (an arbitrary amount set by the DM; he would have had to spend at
least 300 gp, or 100 per week). Fortunately, he succeeds in the learn spells
check, and his research is successful—from now on, Selthos can produce a
cloak of the bat anytime he desires, without repeating the research.
Actually making the cloak requires one week and four days (half the
research time) and 2d6 x 100 gp, plus the cost of the cloak. The DM decides
that a suitable cloak costs 100 gp (the minimum allowed, but it’s only an
article of clothing), and rolls 700 gp for the cost of the enchantment. Again,
Selthos succeeds in a learn spells check, so he now possesses a cloak of
the bat that will last for 1d6 days, plus one day per level. With some
urgency, he sets off at once to investigate the tower before his enchantment
fades!
Several months later, Selthos decides that he needs his cloak again. He
can re-enchant the cloak with one week of work, another 2d6 x 100 gp, and a
learn spells check.
Artificers may create permanent magical items using the normal magical item creation rules and the enchant an item spell when they reach the appropriate levels. (If an artificer creates a true magical item he once made a temporary version of, his research time and expense is reduced to its minimum value—see Chapter 7.) Artificers gain a +10% bonus to their chance to successfully enchant items.
In addition, artificers have a 20% chance at 1st level to identify the general purpose and function of any magical item simply by examining it for one full turn. This is similar to the bard’s ability, but is based on the artificer’s ability to analyze the construction and enchantments on the item, not the item’s historical significance. This chance increases by 5% per level, so a 5th-level artificer can identify items with a 40% chance of success.
While artificers are fairly weak at first, once they reach middle levels they can quickly become some of the most useful and powerful wizards in the game. The DM should always consider the artificer’s proposed item research and construction very carefully; any item that the DM feels is too powerful or out-of-character can be disallowed. In particular, items with absorption or negation powers should be considered very carefully—these can be very unbalancing in a game.
Geometer: Like the alchemist, the geometer was introduced in Player’s Option: Skills & Powers. Geometers seek to control magical forces by creating symbols and diagrams of mystical significance. The tools of the geometer’s trade range from runes drawn on paper or carved in stone to free-floating constructs of energy woven by the somatic gestures of a spell. Naturally, geometers excel in the casting of any spell that involves the drawing of a rune, mark, or diagram. In order to choose this specialty, a wizard must have an Intelligence (Intelligence/Reason) of 15 or better and a Wisdom (Wisdom/Intuition) of 14 or higher. The spells used by the school of geometry are described in Appendix 3 of this book.
Geometers gain the usual advantages for specialization, but like the alchemist, they gain no modifiers to their saving throws and inflict no saving throw penalties on their targets. Beginning at 4th level, a geometer may create scrolls by committing a spell he knows to paper. He can cast the spell from the scroll at some later time simply by reading the scroll, which requires one full round; once read, the scroll is consumed and the spell expended. The geometer may not have more than one spell-scroll per character level prepared at any given time, so a 6th-level geometer may have as many as six scrolls ready.
Transcribing a spell to a scroll requires one full day per spell level; a 5th-level spell requires five days of uninterrupted work. The materials cost 100 gp per spell level, and the wizard needs a suitable laboratory or library to work in. Only spells of the school of geometry can be transcribed to scrolls, but a geometer can engage in spell research to find a diagram for spells outside the school of geometry. In any event, a geometer must succeed in a learn spells check to see if he is successful in scribing the scroll.
Geometers may also attempt to create various forms of protection scrolls, beginning at 7th level. The geometer must first research the scroll’s diagram through normal spell research. To figure out how much time and money should be spent on researching a particular protection scroll, take a look at its experience point value. Basically, a scroll’s effective spell level is determined by dividing the experience point value by 500 and then adding 2 (i.e., Level = XP/500 + 2) For example, if a scroll is worth 500 XP, it is considered a 3rd-level spell (500 divided by 500 equals 1; 1 plus 2 equals 3). The research time is two weeks per effective level, at a cost of 1,000 gp per level; the geometer must pass a learn spells check to successfully research the diagram. Once the geometer knows the diagram, he can produce one scroll by investing in 3d6 x 100 gp worth of materials and spending one uninterrupted week working in his laboratory. Again, a learn spells check applies to see if he executed the diagram correctly.
Bordun’s rival Teriaz
also wishes to pilfer the dragon’s hoard, but he’s decided to provide his agent
with a scroll of protection from dragon breath. This is worth 2,000 XP,
so it’s the equivalent of a 6th-level spell. It will take Teriaz twelve weeks
to research the scroll and costs him 6,000 gold pieces. After passing his
initial learn spells check and succeeding in his research, Teriaz can produce
the scroll with one week of work and an additional 600 gp (the DM’s roll of 3d6
x 100 gp) if he succeeds in the final learn spells check. While the dragon’s
hoard has suffered at the hands of the alchemist’s accomplice, Teriaz’s
champion succeeds in slaying the beast and claiming the rest of the hoard.
The geometer’s spells tend to be defensive in nature, since many spells in the school involve drawing or scribing boundaries of some kind. Spells of the school of geometry are considered to have no verbal component. The school of geometry is opposed by the schools of enchantment/charm and illusion.
Song Mage: The school of song relies on the wizard’s skill at weaving melody, lyrics, and rhythm to create enchantments of great power. Elves and bards have tapped into this source of magic for centuries, but now more wizards are investigating the intriguing possibilities of this school. While a song mage does not require proficiency in singing or musical instruments, most song mages are also virtuoso vocalists—the subtleties of pitch and expression are critically important in casting a spell in this fashion. Song mages require an Intelligence (Intelligence/Knowledge) of 14, reflecting their musical studies, and a Charisma (Charisma/Appearance) of 15.
Song mages enjoy the standard benefits and penalties for specializing in a school of magic. (Spells belonging to the school of song are listed in Appendix 3.) The normal saving throw modifiers apply, but note that the song mage may apply his saving throw bonus to magical song or sound attacks such as a sphinx’s roar or banshee’s wail in addition to song spells. At 8th level, song mages gain the ability to enhance the effectiveness of any musical or sound-based magical item by 50%; a song mage wielding drums of panic increases the area of affect from 120-foot radius to a radius of 180 feet. If the magical item proves to be cursed, its effect is lessened by 50% (if possible). At 11th level, the song mage gains the ability to counter magical song or sound attacks once per day, negating the effects of the attack in a 10-foot radius centered on the mage. This allows the song mage to protect those nearby from a harpy’s song, a sphinx’s roar, or a shout spell. The mage must stand still or walk slowly and sing for at least one full round to negate the effect, and may continue singing for up to one full turn per level to defeat pervasive or persistent attacks.
All spells in the school of song are considered to have neither somatic nor material components when cast by a song mage—while song mages are extremely vulnerable to a silence spell, they are also capable of casting spells while securely bound or stripped of all their possessions. The school of song is opposed by the schools of necromancy, divination, and invocation/evocation.
The song mage commands a variety of useful spells that are effective both in attack and defense. While he has few spells that can directly damage an enemy, he is very good at influencing or hindering opponents with his magic, especially at higher levels.
Wild Mage: The concept of wild magic was introduced in the Tome of Magic. Wild magic is a new theory of magic that emphasizes study of the forces of randomness; a wild mage never knows exactly what’s going to happen when he casts a spell. While there isn’t enough space here to reprint all of the wild magic rules and tables, this briefly sums up the specialist so that readers who don’t have access to the Tome of Magic can make use of this material.
Since wild magic is a new field of study, and a difficult one at that, a wizard must have an Intelligence (or Intelligence/Reason) score of 16 or better to specialize in this field. Wild magic has no opposition school—wild mages can freely learn any wizard spell they choose, and they’re also the only wizards who can learn spells of the school of wild magic. Like other specialists, they gain the bonus memorized spell at each level. They have no saving throw adjustments for their own saves or their targets’ saves. Wild mages receive a bonus of +10% when learning new wild magic spells, and a penalty of –5% when learning magic spells from other schools. When a wild mage researches a new wild magic spell, the spell is treated as if it were one level lower.
Wild mages have a special ability to control certain magical items that normally behave randomly for other characters. A wild mage has a 50% chance to control one of the following items, selecting the result of his choice: the amulet of the planes, bag of beans, bag of tricks, deck of illusions, deck of many things, and the well of many worlds. The wand of wonder is a special case; if the wild mage successfully controls the wand, he may use charges from the wand to cast any spell he already knows, whether or not he has the spell memorized. The number of charges expended equals the level of the spell chosen; if the mage fails his roll, he simply expends one charge from the wand and rolls for a random result.
Every time a wild mage casts a spell, the effective casting level may vary. While the level variation rules are explained in detail in the Tome of Magic, here’s a quick and simple method for determining the variation. When the wild mage casts a spell, roll 1d20: on a roll of 6 or less, the caster’s effective level drops by 1d3 levels; on a 15 or better, it increases by 1d3 levels; and on a roll of 10, the spell results in a wild surge. Note that the level variation can’t exceed the caster’s level, so a 2nd-level wizard can’t vary by more than two levels either way. Level variation affects all level-based aspects of a spell, including damage, duration, range, opponent’s saving throws, and other such factors.
Kelmaran, a 5th-level
wild mage, casts a fireball spell at a band of orcs. He rolls 1d20 and
comes up with a 1, so his effective level will be reduced by 1d3 levels.
Rolling 1d3, he is relieved to see that he only loses 1 level, so his fireball
does 4 dice of damage instead of 5 and may suffer a small reduction in range.
With a lucky roll, Kelmaran’s spell could have done as much damage as an
8th-level wizard’s fireball.
Wild surges are strange manifestations of the randomness of wild magic. A complete table for wild surges appears in the Tome of Magic, but if a copy of this book isn’t available, use the random chart for the wand of wonder, in the magical item descriptions of the DMG. Note that a number of wild magic spells appear in the Tome of Magic and the Wizard Spell Compendium—if you’re really interested in playing a wild mage character, you should obtain a copy of one or both of those accessories.
Customized Wizard Characters While there is a broad selection of specialist wizards to choose from in this book, some players may want to create more unique characters. Player’s Option: Skills & Powers introduced the concept of point-based character design; this section now expands that material for wizards. Dozens of new powers, abilities, and restrictions are described here, allowing the creation of almost any kind of magic-using character imaginable.
If you want to use the material here in conjunction with Skills & Powers, this section takes the place of the character class design rules. In addition to the initial allotment of 40 character points assigned to a character in this chapter, a player may also choose to spend points left over from the race design chapter and save points in this step for proficiency selections. Note that there is no restriction on how a character spends his points in this system.
As always, the DM has the final word on whether or not a particular character is appropriate for his campaign. If the DM doesn’t like the way a character is put together, he can have the player try again.
Using the Wizard Character Design
Rules
In case you aren’t familiar with point-based character design, here’s how it works: You get to decide which class abilities and which hindrances your character will have during his adventuring career. For example, if you want your wizard character to have the hit points and fighting ability of a priest, you can select the appropriate abilities to do so—but chances are good that your character will have to make serious sacrifices elsewhere in order to get this advantage.
When you custom-design a wizard, your character begins with 40 character points. Each ability you select for your character costs character points, but you can gain extra points by choosing limitations. Unless you spend points on special powers or select special limitations, your wizard character uses a four-sided Hit Die, uses the wizard’s THAC0 and saving throw charts, gains the ability to cast wizard spells as noted in the PHB on Table 21: Wizard Spell Progression, may use any magical item normally usable by wizards, may not wear armor, and is limited to the following weapons: dagger, dart, knife, sling, or staff. Note that your customized wizard character must spend points to gain schools from which he can cast spells.
Under these rules, you are under no obligation to build your character as a mage or a specialist wizard. Your character’s powers and spell schools will be determined entirely by your choices here. However, for your convenience you may want to use these basic wizard classes as starting points. If you decide to begin the customizing process with a mage or specialist wizard, your character receives no character points to choose new or optional abilities. Since the mage or any specialist wizard is already a complete character class, the only way to add new powers is to compensate for them by selecting new limitations for a net point cost of zero.
The School of Universal Magic: All wizards have full access to this school at a cost of zero character points. This school contains spells basic to any wizard’s studies.
Optional Abilities
A customized wizard is built from a slate of optional abilities, ranging from schools he may cast spells from to game mechanics such as THAC0 improvement rate, Hit Die size, and weapons and armor allowed. The available abilities are listed below.
Delayed Acquisition of Abilities: A character can reduce the cost of a special ability by choosing to delay it to a higher level. For example, a character may select the ability of reduced casting time, but then delay the acquisition of the ability to 4th or 5th level. An ability that is not acquired until 3rd level is 1 point cheaper than the listed cost; an ability delayed to 5th level is 2 points cheaper; an ability delayed to 7th level is 3 points cheaper; an ability delayed to 9th level is 4 points cheaper than listed; and an ability delayed to 11th level is 5 points cheaper than normal. No ability can be reduced to zero or less points—everything costs at least one character point, no matter how long the wizard waits for the power.
Access to schools (5+): A customized wizard pays 5 character points (CPs) for each school he may learn and cast spells from. A standard mage would pay 40 CPs to gain access to the eight schools of philosophy: abjuration, alteration, conjuration/summoning, divination, enchantment/charm, illusion, invocation/evocation, and necromancy. Customized wizards may choose to have access to thaumaturgical schools or schools of effect if they wish.
Armor (5/10/15): With this ability, a wizard may ignore the normal restriction against using armor. As a 5-point ability, the wizard may wear padded armor; for 10 points, the wizard may wear leather, studded leather, hide, or brigandine armor; and for 15 points, the wizard may wear any armor he chooses. Note that a wizard may not use any kind of shield.
Automatic spell acquisition (2/5): The wizard may add a new spell of his choice to his spell book every time he gains a level, without having to pass a learn spells check. The wizard need not have a copy of the spell but must have seen the spell used at least once. As a 2-point ability, the wizard can acquire spells from one school only; as a 5-point ability, he can choose from any school he has access to. The wizard must be able to cast the spell he chooses.
Bonus spells (10/15): A wizard with this ability increases the number of spells of each level that he can memorize by one. For example, a 1st-level wizard may memorize two 1st-level spells instead of just one. For 10 points, the wizard may select spells of one school as bonus spells; for 15 points, the bonus spell can be any spell the wizard can cast.
Casting time reduction (2/5): Spells cast by the wizard are unusually swift and have a casting time of 1 less than normal. For 2 points, the wizard may accelerate spells of only one school. For 5 points, all spells are faster.
Combat bonus (8/10): A wizard with this class ability is much better in combat than normal. For eight CPs, the wizard’s THAC0 advances as if he were a rogue of equal level. For 10 CPs, the wizard’s THAC0 advances as a priest’s.
Constitution adjustment (5): The wizard may use the Constitution-based hit point bonus of warriors, gaining +3 or +4 hp per Hit Die with a Constitution of 17 or 18 instead of the normal maximum of +2 hp per die.
Detect magic (10): A wizard with this power may use detect magic once per day per two levels (twice a day at 3rd level, three times at 5th, and so on). The wizard doesn’t need to memorize the spell, but in all other respects the power operates as if it were actually cast by the wizard.
Dispel (10/15): This power allows a wizard to dispel one kind of effect or spell once per day, or three times per day for 15 CPs. The range of this power is 30 yards, and it requires nothing more than one round of concentration. The base chance of success is 50%, ±5% for each level difference between the dispeller and the creator of the effect to be dispelled. The type of effect that may be dispelled must be a group of linked spells in the same school; for example, charm spells, polymorph spells, or shadow magic and monsters are all good examples.
Enhanced casting level (10): A wizard with this ability may cast spells of one school as if he were 1d4 levels higher than his actual level (roll each time used). All level-based effects of the spell are altered, including damage, range, duration, and area of effect. This power may only be invoked once per day.
Extended spell duration (10/15): Noninstantaneous spells cast by the wizard last an additional time unit (round, hour, day, etc.) per two levels. The exact time unit depends on the normal duration of the spell—if the duration is noted in hours, a 5th-level wizard’s bonus would be an extra three hours. As a 10-point power, extended duration applies to spells of one school. For 15 points, it applies to all spells cast by the wizard.
Followers (10): Normally, wizards do not attract loyal followers at high levels like other characters do. A wizard who selects this ability automatically attracts 20 to 200 0-level men-at-arms at 8th level if he establishes a castle, keep, tower, or other place of strength. In addition, 1d6 low-level wizards (1st to 3rd level) will also appear and request permission to study beneath the PC wizard. These loyal apprentices can undertake minor errands or research on the wizard’s behalf, as long as they are treated well.
Immunity (10+): A wizard with this power gains complete immunity to one particular spell, at a cost of 10 CPs plus 1 CP per spell level. The wizard ignores the effects of the spell and cannot be directly damaged or harmed by the spell, although he could be indirectly harmed—a wizard immune to charm person could be beaten senseless by a charmed fighter, for example. The character may gain immunity to a group of related spells by spending CPs to become immune to the highest-level spell in that group, so a wizard who wanted immunity to all charms would spend 18 CPs for immunity to mass charm—charm person and charm monster are included with immunity to mass charm. The DM may disallow any immunity that he feels is too powerful.
Improved Hit Die (10/20): For 10 character points, the wizard uses a d6 for a Hit Die instead of a d4. For 20 points, the wizard uses a d8.
Learning bonus (5/7+): The wizard gains a +15% bonus to his chance to learn spells of one school; for seven points, this increases to +25%. The wizard may apply the bonus to learning spells of all schools by doubling the point cost.
No components (5/8): With this talent, a wizard may designate one spell of each level as a spell that requires no material components. For 5 points, the wizard may select spells of one school only; for 8 points, the wizard may select spells from any school. The wizard may not choose spells from the schools of alchemy or artifice for this advantage.
Persistent spell effect (15 +2/spell level): The wizard may select one spell that he knows (and can cast) to have a persistent, permanent effect. He must give up one spell slot of the appropriate level, so a wizard who wants to have ESP as a persistent power must leave one 2nd-level spell slot empty. Only spells with noninstantaneous, nonspecial durations may be selected as persistent powers, and the spell must be one which affects the caster. By concentrating, the wizard may invoke the power and maintain it for as long as he continues to concentrate. Changing the persistent spell requires a full week of uninterrupted work. If the wizard is struck by a dispel magic, the persistent effect fails. First-level spells that are appropriate for persistent effects include: change self, chill touch, detect undead, feather fall, gaze reflection, jump, protection from evil, shield, spider climb, and ventriloquism.
Priestly wizard (10+): A wizard with this talent may select one minor sphere of access for 10 points or one major sphere for 15 points. The wizard must still use wizard spell slots to memorize these spells; in effect, they’re translations or adaptations of priest spells the wizard knows through special training. Priest spells must be learned normally and count against the wizard’s maximum number of spells per level.
Proficiency group crossovers (5+): Normally, a wizard may select proficiencies from the wizard and general groups, and must pay a penalty in character points or proficiency slots for choosing proficiencies out of these groups. At a cost of 5 CPs each, the wizard may select another character group for a NWP crossover.
Range increase (5/7+): All ranged spells from one school known to the wizard have their range increased by 25% for 5 CPs or 50% for 7 CPs. For example, the 1st-level spell hold person has a range of 20 yards per level, but with this power the range could increase to 25 or 30 yards per level. The wizard can gain this bonus to all ranged spells regardless of school by doubling the CP cost.
Read magic (5): This power allows the wizard to use read magic once per day per two levels. The wizard doesn’t need to memorize the spell, but in all other respects the power operates as if it were a read magic actually cast by the wizard.
Research bonus (5+): When the wizard is performing spell research, spells of one school are treated as if they are one level lower, just like the standard specialist wizard ability. If the wizard doubles the cost to 10, he may apply this bonus to all schools.
School knowledge (5/8): This is a standard benefit for a specialist wizard. Due to the wizard’s extensive knowledge of one school of magic, he gains a +1 bonus to saving throws versus spells of that school, and inflicts a –1 penalty to the saving throws of his opponents when casting spells of the school. For 8 CPs, the saving throw modifiers increase to +2 and –2, respectively.
Thief ability (10+): A wizard with this talent possesses one thief ability of his choice. For every 5 additional points he spends, he may choose another thief ability. (Note that backstab is included as a thief ability.) The wizard’s percentage scores increase as noted in the DMG on Table 19: Thief Average Ability Table. Modifiers for race, armor worn, and exceptional Dexterity score all apply.
Weapon selection (10/15): For 10 CPs, the wizard may expand his selection of weapons to either the cleric or thief lists (player’s choice). For 15 points, the wizard is completely unrestricted in his choice of weapons and may gain proficiency in any weapon he spends a slot to learn.
Weapon specialization (15): With this power, the wizard gains the ability to specialize in a weapon. Choosing this ability doesn’t confer specialization—it merely makes it available for the wizard, who is still required to spend the necessary CPs or proficiency slots to actually specialize.
Optional Limitations
Limitations are selected much like abilities. Each limitation carries a CP bonus that counters CPs spent on abilities. If a wizard selects 55 CPs of abilities in the previous section, he must come up with 15 CPs of limitations, since the wizard is normally allowed only 40 CPs worth of abilities.
A "standard" mage or specialist wizard can use limitations to pay for unusual abilities he wouldn’t normally have access to. For example, if a wild mage also wanted to be able to move silently (a 10-point ability from the preceding list), he has to find a 10-point limitation to compensate. The following is a list of available limitations:
Awkward casting method (5): The wizard’s spells must be cast in an extremely obvious fashion, alerting anyone within earshot that the wizard is using magic. The wizard might be surrounded by brilliant dancing motes of light, he might have to shout his vocal component at the top of his lungs, people nearby might feel waves of chilling cold wash over them—however it works, the wizard’s spellcasting activity is immediately noticed. Casting spells from ambush is nearly impossible, and casting spells discretely is right out, so a quiet ESP in a tavern will never be available to the wizard.
Behavior/taboo (2): The wizard has a strong set of beliefs that require him to act strangely. For example, he may have to dress in certain colors, avoid physical contact with other people, avoid certain foods, and so on. The behavior chosen is well-known by most NPCs as the behavior of a wizard, so it becomes difficult for the wizard to conceal his profession. The wizard’s actions may also make it easier for enemies to find or harass him by exploiting his taboos. Most importantly, a wizard who violates his beliefs loses all spells he currently has memorized; he believes that he can’t cast spells until he behaves in the required manner again.
Difficult memorization (5): A wizard with this limitation can study and memorize spells only in very specific circumstances. For example, the wizard must be in his lab to memorize spells, he must be in a temple of the god of magic, or he must perform a rite lasting one full day and using materials worth at least 250 gp per level in order to prepare himself to memorize spells.
Environmental condition (5+): The wizard requires certain conditions for spells to be effective; for example, a wizard may only be able to cast spells by day, while in contact with a favored element, or as long as no priests are nearby. The DM should evaluate the proposed restriction to determine if it applies in everyday circumstances (20 points), common situations (15 points), rare circumstances (10 points), or only under very specific conditions (5 points.) For example, the mage who can only cast spells in daylight hours has an everyday restriction—each night, he’s almost helpless. Another mage who can’t cast spells during the dark of the moon only has a 5-point restriction, since this occurs for only a couple of days each month.
Hazardous spells (10): A wizard with this limitation pays the price for his magic. Each time the wizard casts a spell, he must attempt a saving throw vs. breath weapon or suffer 1 point of damage per level of spell. Alternatively, the wizard has a 1% chance per spell level, cumulative, of going insane. The madness lasts 3d4 days, during which the wizard may be catatonic, psychotic, paranoid, or generally disturbed in whatever fashion the DM deems appropriate, before the character can recover and reset the chance of madness to 0% again.
Learning penalty (5/8): This is a common restriction of specialist wizards. The wizard may learn spells of one school without penalty; for all other schools, he suffers a –15% penalty to his learn spells roll, or a –25% penalty for 8 CPs.
Limited magical item use (5+): A wizard with this restriction cannot use certain magical items. For each category of magical item that is unusable, the wizard gains a 5 CP restriction. The categories are: potions, oils, and scrolls; rings; rods, staves, and wands; and miscellaneous magical items, weapons, and armor. Another way for this restriction to operate is by barring all magical items that simulate spells of a certain school—for example, all items that have invocation/evocation effects, and so on. This is a 5-point restriction for each barred school. Specialist wizards often take this restriction for their opposition schools.
Reduced hit points (10): Wizards with this limitation use a d3 for their Hit Die instead of a d4. In addition, the wizard is limited to a Constitution hit point bonus of +1 per die.
Reduced spell knowledge (7): The maximum number of spells of each level that the wizard may know is reduced to one-half normal, or 10 if his Intelligence is high enough to allow him to know all the available spells. For example, a wizard with an Intelligence of 16 may know up to 11 spells of each level, but with this limitation he may only know six spells of each level.
Reduced spell progression (15): This is the reverse of the bonus spells enjoyed by specialist wizards. A wizard with this restriction can memorize one less spell than normal at each level, so a 1st-level wizard is reduced from one spell in memory to none at all—a serious disadvantage for lower-level characters.
Slower casting time (2/5): Spells cast by the wizard are unusually complicated and require more time than normal to cast. All spell casting times increase by 3. For 5 points, the wizard’s spells automatically increase to the next greater time unit. This means that spells with casting times of 1 to 9 increase to one full round. Spells with casting times in rounds require a similar number of turns, turns go to hours, and hours go to days.
Supernatural constraint (5+): The process by which the wizard gained access to his magical powers transformed him into a supernatural creature with unusual vulnerabilities. Unlike a belief or taboo, these constraints cannot be violated by the wizard by any means. Some examples: the wizard can’t cross running water; the wizard can’t enter a home or community without an invitation; the wizard can’t set foot on hallowed ground; the wizard automatically becomes lost at crossroads; the wizard leaves footprints that can always be tracked; normal animals are terrified of the wizard and won’t let him near; and any number of other such constraints. These constraints can be used by clever enemies to render the wizard powerless or severely restrict his movements. The DM should evaluate the proposed constraint and assign a limitation of 5 to 15 points depending on how often it comes into play and how much it interferes with the character on a daily basis.
Talisman (8): The wizard’s magical power is inextricably linked with a single object or talisman. He must have this object on his person in order to cast spells. Typically, a talisman might be a crystal, a staff, an amulet, a ring, or some similar item. If the wizard’s talisman is destroyed, he can create a new one with 1d4 weeks of work in his laboratory or home base.
Weapons restriction (3/5): As a 3-point restriction, the wizard may never have proficiency in any weapon. As a 5-point restriction, the wizard is not allowed to attempt to wield a weapon at all and may never try to injure another creature with a weapon. Doing so renders all spell use impossible for the character for at least one full month.
Dealing with Game-Breaking
Characters
While the customized wizard rules allow players a great deal of flexibility in creating their characters, they also allow a clever player to put together a "super-wizard" by carefully selecting limitations that he thinks will rarely hinder the character. Don’t despair; this is a zero-sum character creation system, and for every strength a character must also incorporate a corresponding weakness. Here are a few guidelines for handling high-powered characters:
DM’s Prerogative: The DM always has the final say on anything in his campaign. If a player insists on building characters that unbalance the game, the DM is within his rights to simply not approve the character or disallow customized character creation in his game.
Point Limits: The DM can limit the number of additional powers purchased by a wizard by setting a limit of 60 or 70 points of optional abilities. After the first 40 points, each additional ability must still be paid for by taking limitations. This prevents a player from building a wizard with every ability on the list and balancing it with every limitation. Optionally, the DM can require that a wizard spend at least 30 points acquiring schools to cast spells from, or set other spending limits in specific areas.
Limitations with a Vengeance: A player might think he’s getting away with something when he takes a couple of belief or environmental condition limitations, but a good DM can always find a way to bring these role-playing disadvantages into play. By looking for situations where the super-character’s built-in weaknesses cripple him, the DM can graphically illustrate how out of balance the character actually is.
The Bad Guys are Supermen, Too: Naturally, if one character is a walking arsenal of powers and abilities, it stands to reason that some NPCs might have similar skills. No matter how tough a particular PC is, there’s always someone in the game world who’s a little tougher than him, and meeting that NPC is a super-character’s worst nightmare. While this tactic isn’t particularly elegant, it’s quite effective in letting the player know just how it feels to be in the place of the poor NPCs his character’s been terrorizing.
Chapter 2:
Priests
The Player’s Handbook describes two types of priests: clerics and specialty priests. While clerics are intended to serve as a generic model for a priest character, DMs and players in campaigns that feature specific pantheons or mythoi are encouraged to create specialty priests to reflect the particular aims and powers of the different deities of the world. The druid is presented as an example of a specialty priest, representing any power that stands for nature—or even nature itself.
In this chapter, we’ll examine the basic cleric and druid classes in great detail, concentrating on their magical abilities. A number of spells are reorganized into different spheres in order to provide the specialty priests with basic abilities that should be common to all priest characters, while maintaining unique spells that can only be cast by certain specialists. We’ll also introduce three new types or subclasses of specialty priest: the crusader, the shaman, and the monk. Last but not least, we’ll present a point-based design system for customizing specialty priests.
Hordes of specialty priests have been introduced in various accessories following the Player’s Handbook. There are specialty priesthoods in Legends and Lore, The Complete Priest’s Handbook, Monster Mythology, and several of the campaign settings. At this point, there are well over one hundred varieties of priests in print! Unfortunately, some of these specialty priests are far more powerful than similar specialty priests presented in different settings. This raises the question of which sources are "generic" enough to use in any campaign setting, and which should be reserved for specific campaign worlds.
The first rule of thumb is simple: If a campaign setting features its own pantheon and specialty priests for those powers, you should give that material precedence. For example, the deities and priesthoods of the Forgotten Realms, Birthright, or Dark Sun campaign settings are described in detail in their respective boxed sets. When a player creates a priest character for one of these settings, he should refer to the character creation rules specific to those settings. Of course, a DM who has assembled this information for his own campaign can certainly require his players to create their priest characters accordingly!
If a world does not feature a fully-developed pantheon or special priesthood rules for the various powers of the mythoi, then you should consider the material in Player’s Option: Spells & Magic to take precedence over all earlier material. In other words, the rules here are intended to replace the specialty priesthoods presented in The Complete Priest’s Handbook, Legends and Lore, and Monster Mythology. Note that the powers and faiths presented in these books remain unchanged; Player’s Option: Spells & Magic just changes the way the specialty priests are put together.
Spheres of Access Just as wizard spells are divided into schools of magic, priest spells are organized into spheres of access. A sphere of access represents a group of related spell powers granted by a particular deity, so a power of war usually grants access to the spheres of combat and war, a power of nature usually grants access to the spheres of animal and plant, and so on. All priestly spheres of access are organized in the same scheme—there are no variant organizations like the schools of effect or thaumaturgy for wizards.
While wizards generally have the ability to learn spells from any school unless specifically stated otherwise, priests are strictly limited to the spheres their deity grants them access to. In other words, the organization of priest spells governs which spells a priest can cast, while wizard schools govern which spells a wizard can’t cast. This makes it difficult to create new spheres of priest spells, since a great deal of work must be done to retrofit any new spheres to existing priesthoods that should have had influence in the new sphere.
The standard spheres from the Player’s Handbook are the spheres of all, animal, astral, charm, combat, creation, divination, elemental (with the lesser spheres of air, earth, fire, and water), guardian, healing, necromantic, plant, protection, summoning, sun, and weather. In addition, the Tome of Magic adds the spheres of chaos, law, numbers, thought, time, travelers, war, and wards.
All: Spells of this sphere represent the basic class abilities that should be available to all priest characters, regardless of specialization. Spells that deal with direct manifestations of a deity’s power, such as bless, chant, and gate are included, as well as a few spells that are so general that all priests may make use of them, such as detect magic, remove curse, and atonement. The sphere of all has been greatly expanded in Player’s Option: Spells & Magic in order to balance the spell powers available to different kinds of specialty priests.
Animal: Spells that influence or alter creatures are found in the sphere of animal. Most animal spells do not affect people. Powers of nature or husbandry often grant spells of this sphere.
Astral: The astral sphere deals with communication and movement between the various planes of existence. Priesthoods of philosophy or travel sometimes have access to this sphere.
Chaos: Priests with access to this sphere command spell powers that increase randomness and confusion to the world around them. Deities of mischief and ill luck often grant spells of chaos.
Charm: Charm spells usually affect the attitudes and actions of people. Powers of love, trickery, or art often grant access to this sphere. The sphere is also useful when dealing with hostile enemies or unbelievers, and many expansive faiths deal with this sphere as well.
Combat: Naturally, combat spells are used to attack or injure the enemies of the faith. Since most priests have an interest in self-defense, a great number of faiths have access to the sphere of combat.
Creation: Creation spells allow the priest to produce food, water, light, or other things from nothing. Create water and continual light are good examples. Prime creator powers often grant access to this sphere.
Divination: This useful sphere allows the priest to discern the safest course of action, detect hidden things, or discover hidden knowledge. It is the province of deities of learning and wisdom.
Elemental: The four basic elements of creation—air, earth, fire, and water—are dealt with in this sphere. Powers of nature or powers with elemental interests typically grant access to at least part of this sphere. Very few priests have access to all four elements.
Guardian: Priesthoods charged with the protection of holy places often have access to this sphere. Spells that help a guardian to perform his task are included as well as spells that create or enforce magical barriers over a person or area.
Healing: This sphere deals with all forms of healing spells, except those which restore life or manipulate the subject’s life force.
Law: The sphere of law is the antithesis of the sphere of chaos. Law spells concentrate on the principle of obedience and the strength of the group over the strength of the individual. Deities of rulership and community are likely to have influence in this sphere.
Necromantic: Spells of the necromantic sphere deal with the forces of life and death, including raise dead and resurrect. These spells are also quite useful in dealing with undead monsters.
Numbers: Priests with access to this sphere believe that numbers and mathematical relationships can provide insight into the nature of the universe. Powers of knowledge and arcane lore occasionally grant access to this unusual sphere of spells.
Plant: This sphere deals with plants and vegetation of all kinds, from agricultural to wilderness settings. Priests of nature or agriculture are often granted access to this sphere.
Protection: While this sphere is related to the guardian sphere, protection spells generally enable the priest to protect people, not places. Many of these spells are very useful in combat, and militant priests often have access to this sphere.
Summoning: Summoning spells call creatures to serve the priest. Even extradimensional creatures can be summoned at higher levels. This sphere has been revised to include a modest selection of spells suitable for dismissing summoned creatures.
Sun: Solar spells deal with light of different qualities in a variety of ways. Spells such as starshine and Sol’s searing orb are included in the sphere of sun.
Thought: The sphere of thought is composed of spells that deal with the interaction of the thinker, the thought, and the subject of the thought. In effect, priests who have access to this sphere believe that thought itself has a certain reality that can affect the physical reality of the world around the mind. Powers concerned with the mind or knowledge are found within this sphere.
Travelers: Spells of this sphere provide aid and comfort to travelers and pilgrims. Deities of wayfarers both peaceful and militant may make these spells available to their followers.
War: Unlike the sphere of combat, the sphere of war deals specifically with magic useful on the battlefield in clashes between armies. War spells can affect hundreds of soldiers at a time.
Wards: The sphere of wards includes spells that provide protection for clearly defined areas, ranging from single objects to whole communities. It is related to the sphere of guardian, but the sphere of wards only creates barriers or obstacles to deter intrusion; ward spells do not necessarily enhance the priest’s ability to defend the area. In addition, many ward spells are cooperative in nature and provide protection for bodies of believers instead of holy sites.
Weather: This sphere is concerned with the forces of weather, including wind, fog, lightning, and weather control. Powers of nature and tempests often have influence in this sphere.
Player’s Option and Spheres of
Access
While the general definitions of the spheres have remained the same for Player’s Option: Spells & Magic, a number of spells have been rearranged for purposes of game balance. Many spells have been added to the sphere of all in order to provide all priests with the basic spell powers that should be available to them. Some other spells have been assigned to different schools to better define the roles and strengths of clerics, druids, and other specialty priests. For example, reflecting pool was originally designed as a druid spell, but in AD&D 2nd Edition it became a divination spell available to clerics. In this book, reflecting pool has been placed in the sphere of elemental water, where druids have access to it but clerics do not. Refer to Appendix 4 for a complete and accurate listing of which spells belong where.
Cleric Sphere Access: As part of the reorganization of the spheres of access, clerics lose access to the sphere of sun and the elemental spheres of air and fire. Clerics retain minor access to the elemental spheres of water and earth. The cleric only loses a dozen or so spells he formerly had access to, and most of these were spells that had previously belonged to the druid in the original AD&D.
Druid Sphere Access: Similarly, druids lose access to the sphere of divination, but gain major access to the sphere of sun. Again, this takes away spells that blur the line between the druid and cleric’s spellcasting powers, while restoring a number of spells that druids formerly had access to in the original AD&D game.
Priest Characters All five standard varieties of priest—the cleric, the druid, the crusader, the monk, and the shaman—can be considered generic enough to be used in any campaign setting. In addition, some of the existing specialty priests described in previous books can be "folded in" to these basic five priest archetypes.
Clerics are militant priests who serve as temple knights, defenders of the faith, and guardians of a faith’s holy places. They have very good fighting skills and a wide array of spells to choose from. The skills, abilities, and spell selection available to the cleric can also describe priests of agriculture, arts, birth/children, community, crafts, culture, darkness/night, dawn, death, disease, everything, evil, fate/destiny, fortune/luck, good, healing, life-death-rebirth cycle, light, love, marriage, messengers, metalwork, mischief/trickery, music/dance, oceans/rivers, prosperity, race, redemption, rulership/kingship, sites, sky/weather, sun, trade, and wind.
Crusaders are closely related to clerics, but while clerics can be described as defenders of the faith, crusaders are weapons against the enemies of the temple they serve. They are true soldier-priests, skilled in physical combat and armed with spells appropriate for the battlefield. Crusaders include specialty priests of fire, guardianship, justice/revenge, lightning, metalwork, race, rulership/kingship, strength, thunder, and war.
Druids are priests of nature. They are the protectors of the forests or other wild places and stewards over all living things placed in their charge. Druids are weaker in physical combat than a cleric or crusader, but their spheres of access include a number of powerful offensive and defensive elemental spells. In addition, they enjoy several unique granted powers. Druids can represent the powers of animals, druid, earth, elemental forces, fertility, hunting, moon, nature, seasons, and vegetation.
Monks are cloistered priests and adepts who seek enlightenment through the rigorous training of mind, body, and spirit. Monks are extremely skilled in unarmed combat and have access to several unusual spheres of spells. Monks may represent specialty priests of competition, divinity of mankind, literature/poetry, magic, oracles/prophecy, peace, time, and wisdom.
Shamans are priests of barbaric or savage cultures. They serve as guides and protectors for their tribes. Shamans have fair combat ability and spell access, but they also command the spirits of animals, ancestors, and nature. The shaman is a good choice for any player character who comes from a barbaric or nomadic culture, and can also represent a specialty priest of ancestors, animals, earth, everything, fertility, hunting, lightning, oceans/rivers, race, sky/weather, thunder, and wind.
Cleric
Ability Requirements: Wisdom 9
Prime Requisite: Wisdom
Races Allowed: All
Known as the most common type of priest, a cleric makes a suitable representative for a variety of powers. A cleric is both a sturdy soldier with formidable spell powers and a defender of the faith and proselytizer; overall, he is the most versatile and well-rounded priest character. Clerics with a Wisdom score of 16 or better earn a 10% bonus to the experience they gain. A cleric may be of any alignment acceptable to his patron deity.
Clerics retain all the powers and abilities described in the Player’s Handbook, with the exception of their spheres of access, which are slightly altered. (See Player’s Option™ and Spheres of Access.) Clerics have major access to the spheres of all, astral, charm, combat, creation, divination, guardian, healing, necromantic, protection, summoning, and minor access to elemental water and elemental earth.
Clerics may wear any armor and use any Type B (bludgeoning) weapon. They may also wield a variety of magical items. Clerics turn undead and attract followers as described in the PHB. At 9th level, the cleric may receive permission from his order to establish a religious stronghold and govern it in the name of the faith.
Crusader
Ability Requirements: Wisdom 9
Strength 12
Charisma 12
Prime Requisites: Wisdom, Strength
Races Allowed: Human, Dwarf, Elf
The crusader is a priest of
a deity of war, combat, or conflict who stands at the forefront of the fight
for his faith. Crusaders must be either lawful or chaotic in alignment; in
other words, crusaders may be of any alignment except neutral evil, neutral
good, or true neutral. Since they are often called upon to lead the forces of
their faith into battle, crusaders require high Strength and Charisma scores in
addition to a minimum Wisdom of 9. High Constitution or Dexterity scores are
also very useful for a crusader. A crusader with Wisdom and Strength scores of
16 or better gains a 10% bonus to the experience points he earns. In matters of
advancement, crusaders use the same column as clerics do on Table 23: Priest
Experience Levels in the PHB.
While crusaders are often associated with war gods, they may also represent powers of leadership or strong alignment that are in conflict with opposing forces. Crusaders often organize themselves into a military hierarchy and view their temples as fortifications as well as places of worship. In some cases, the power of the crusader orders can rival the strength of the kingdom that hosts them. This is a situation that sometimes provokes popular resentment or suspicion. However, no one questions their ability and resolve in times of war.
In the adventuring party, the crusader is a natural leader whose place is in the front lines of any battle. When possible, the crusader should take steps to prepare his comrades for battle through the use of bless, prayer, aid, and similar spells. He can also make use of healing spells to assist those who fall in valiant battle.
Crusaders excel in personal combat and are nearly as skilled as a warrior of the same level. They may employ any kind of armor or shield and learn the use of any weapon, although particular orders of crusaders may prefer weapons of a certain type—for example, knightly weapons, bows or battle axes (for elven or dwarven crusaders), and so on. To represent their skill at arms, the THAC0 of a crusader character improves at the warrior’s rate of 1 per level. A 2nd-level crusader has a THAC0 of 19 instead of 20, a 3rd-level crusader has a THAC0 of 18, and so on.
Crusaders are considered to have a nonweapon proficiency crossover with the warrior group and may learn warrior proficiencies at no extra cost. They may use any magical item normally usable by priests or by fighters. In addition, if the DM allows, a lawful good crusader may gain the same benefits as a paladin when wielding a holy avenger sword.
While crusaders are formidable soldiers, they also retain a good selection of spells that are particularly useful on the battlefield. Crusaders have major access to the spheres of all, combat, guardian, healing, war, and wards. They have minor access to the necromantic and protection spheres. In addition, lawful crusaders have major access to the sphere of law, and chaotic crusaders have major access to the sphere of chaos.
Crusaders cannot turn undead, but at 3rd level they gain the granted power to cast lighten load (from the Tome of Magic) once per day. This spell effectively halves the weight of equipment and gear for a day, reducing a party’s encumbrance. At 7th level, the crusader may cast easy march (from Tome of Magic) once per week, which basically allows a small party to force march without accumulating fatigue penalties.
Crusaders gain followers much as clerics do. When the crusader reaches 8th level, he automatically attracts 20 to 200 fanatical followers. These followers are normal 0-level soldiers, armed and equipped with weapons appropriate for typical soldiers in the campaign. Unlike the cleric, the crusader does not need to establish a permanent place of worship to attract these followers. Since he is a great battle leader, the soldiers will serve him as a free-roving company if no stronghold is available. At 9th level, a crusader may receive official sanction to establish a religious stronghold or fortified temple.
Crusaders and Player’s Option: Skills &
Powers
It is assumed that selecting this class for your Player’s Option character expends all class-derived character points a character may have available. In other words, a crusader cannot be customized from the model presented here. However, if you’re interested in building a specialty priest that resembles the crusader with slightly different powers, you can use the Customized Priest Characters information later in this chapter to do so—it’s generally more complete and allows more options than the material in Skills & Powers does.
In the Skills & Powers character point system, crusaders may learn a weapon of their choice, some fighting styles, or expertise in a weapon as if they were multi-classed warriors. A crusader may specialize in a weapon if the DM allows that option from Skills & Powers, but it’s expensive; he must pay the character point costs as a priest, not a fighter.
Druid
Ability Requirements: Wisdom 12
Charisma 15
Prime Requisites: Wisdom, Charisma
Races Allowed: Human, Half-elf
Known primarily for their love of nature and guardianship of the wilderness, druids possess remarkable abilities in areas dealing with plants, animals, weather, and the elements. Druids with a Wisdom and Charisma score of 16 or better earn a 10% bonus to the experience they gain. Because of their views, druids must be neutral in alignment.
Except for a slight change in the spheres of access, druids keep all of the abilities and powers listed in the PHB. Druids have major access to all, animal, elemental, healing, plant, sun and weather.
Druids can only wear leather armor and use wooden shields. Their weapons are limited to club, sickle, dart, spear, dagger, scimitar, sling, and staff. Aside from written magical items as well as armor and weapons forbidden to druids, this class can use all other magical items. Druids cannot turn undead. See the PHB for details about how druids are organized.
Monk
Ability Requirements: Wisdom 15
Intelligence 14
Constitution 13
Prime Requisites: Wisdom, Intelligence
Races Allowed: Human
The monk is a priest who belongs to a cloistered or monastic order, where he withdraws from the everyday affairs of the world around him to contemplate his faith. Powers of philosophy, thought, and scholarship are commonly represented by monks, as well as any deity that is not normally worshipped by the common people of an area. Monks must be lawful in alignment, although they can be lawful good, lawful neutral, or lawful evil. While monks are most often associated with oriental campaigns and settings, this specialty priest is not necessarily an oriental class—monastic orders can exist in almost any fantasy setting.
Monks believe that rigorous training of body, mind, and spirit leads to enlightenment. Consequently, a character must have high Intelligence and Constitution scores to qualify for this class. Wisdom and Intelligence are the prime requisites of the monk, and a monk with scores of 16 or better in these two abilities gains a 10% bonus to the experience points he earns. Monks also advance in level as clerics do.
While monks do not attempt to minister to the masses or gather followers for their patron deity, they believe in demonstrating the qualities of their faith by example. A monastery or abbey is a place of learning and strength that is open to any person who requires shelter, advice, or assistance. Other monks choose to leave the abbey and travel widely, setting an example among the people they meet and help. Monasteries devoted to evil powers are sinister places where knowledge and wealth are hoarded for the use of the order, regardless of whom may need it.
The monk brings a variety of skills to the adventuring party. He is somewhat like the bard in that he is a jack of all trades and master of none. A monk is not a front-rank warrior, but he can be a very capable infiltrator and skirmisher. The monk’s selection of spells allows access to some of the most unusual and versatile priest spells, even if his spells tend to be short on sheer combat power. Like other priest characters, the monk’s principle role is to support and guide the party.
Monks do not wear armor, since the training of the body requires quickness, agility, and discipline; monks see armor and other ironmongery as crutches for a person of weak spirit. To compensate, monks are trained to avoid blows through misdirection and positioning, and their base Armor Class improves by one point at every even level (AC 9 at 2nd level, AC 8 at 4th level, AC 7 at 6th level, and so on) to a maximum base Armor Class of 2 at 16th level. Note that a monk must see the attack coming in order to use this benefit—backstabs, ambushes, or missile attacks from behind the monk will strike him as if he were unarmored.
Monks may employ any Type B weapon, just like the cleric, but they have exceptional skill in unarmed combat. When a monk makes an unarmed attack against an armed opponent, he disregards the Weapons in Defense rule, since he is trained in dealing with armed enemies. (Normally, this rule allows the armed character to attack first with a +4 on attack and damage rolls when another character makes an unarmed attack against him.) In addition, a monk begins play with a free weapon proficiency which may be used to specialize in unarmed combat. Martial arts and other forms of unarmed combat are described in detail in Player’s Option: Combat & Tactics; if you don’t have access to this book, another system appears in The Complete Fighter’s Handbook.
Unarmed Combat with The Complete Fighter’s Handbook or The Complete Priest’s Handbook: In this system of unarmed combat, the monk begins play as a punching specialist, a wrestling specialist, or a martial arts specialist. If the monk chooses martial arts as his preferred unarmed combat form, he must spend one of his initial weapon proficiencies to do so, since this is more difficult than specializing in punching or wrestling.
Specializing in these combat forms gives the monk a +1 bonus to attack rolls, a +2 bonus to damage rolls, and a +1 chart bonus with his unarmed attacks. A monk specialized in punching or martial arts gains one extra attack per round, while a monk specialized in wrestling gains a +2 bonus to his effective Strength score for purposes of maintaining or breaking holds.
Every fourth level after 1st level (5th, 9th, 13th, 17th) the monk gains an additional free weapon proficiency which can be used to continue specialization in his chosen mode of combat. Each additional specialization grants the character an additional +1 to attack rolls, damage rolls, and a +1 chart bonus, to a maximum addition of +4 at 17th level.
Unarmed Combat with Player’s Option: Combat & Tactics: In this system, the monk begins play as described above. If he chooses martial arts as his combat form, he must spend one of his initial weapon proficiencies to do so. At 1st level, the character is considered a specialist; at 5th level, a master; at 9th level, a high master; and at 13th level, a grand master. The exact benefits are described in more detail in Chapter Five of Player’s Option: Combat & Tactics.
If you don’t have either of these books, the monk must choose to be a punching or wrestling specialist, since martial arts per se aren’t described in the Player’s Handbook. The paragraph about The Complete Fighter’s Handbook details the effects of specialization and continuing specialization for these forms of unarmed combat.
Monks may not use magical items that simulate armor, such as bracers of defense, but they are allowed to wear cloaks or rings. Otherwise, they may use any magical item normally usable by priests. Monks have a nonweapon proficiency crossover with all other classes and may learn any proficiency listed at no additional cost.
Monks enjoy major access to the spheres of all, divination, guardian, numbers, and thought. They have minor access to combat, healing, necromantic, and time. Monks cannot turn undead. Beginning at 5th level, monks are entitled to a saving throw vs. spell to block detection, scrying, or mind-reading through magical or psionic means— see the 3rd-level wizard spell nondetection. At 7th level, monks gain the special granted power of free action, which duplicates the effects of the 4th-level priest spell.
Monks never gain followers, but at 9th level a monk may receive permission to establish a monastery as an outpost of his order; if he does so, 10 to 40 monks of lower level will come to his monastery and take up their studies there, recognizing the PC monk as the head of their abbey.
Monks and Player’s Option: Skills & Powers: Selecting this class for your Player’s Option character expends all class-derived character points, so a monk may not acquire additional class abilities from the cleric list. If you want to create a specialty priest like the monk but with slightly different powers, you can use the Customized Priest Character information in this book to do so.
In the Skills & Powers character point system, monks are not required to spend CPs to gain their bonus unarmed combat proficiencies and specializations unless they choose martial arts as their unarmed combat form. In this case, the monk must pay the normal cost for proficiency with martial arts (3 CPs) when first created, although he can use his weapon proficiency CPs to cover this cost.
Table 5:
Shaman Spirits Per Level
Shaman’s Minor Major Great
Level Spirit Spirit Spirit
1 1 — —
2 1 — —
3 2 — —
4 2 — —
5 2 1 —
6 3 1 —
7 3 2 —
8 4 2 —
9 4 2 1
10 4 3 1
11 4 3 2
12 5 3 2
13 5 4 2
14 5 4 3
15 6 4 3
16 6 5 3
17 6 5 4
18 7 5 4
19 7 6 4
20 7 6 5
Shaman
Ability Requirements: Wisdom 12
Constitution 12
Prime Requisites: Wisdom
Races Allowed: Human
The shaman is a tribal priest found in savage, barbaric, or nomadic societies. In his homeland, the shaman serves his tribe in much the same way that a cleric would serve the common people of more civilized lands; he acts as a guide, protector, and advisor, using his magical powers to strengthen and defend the tribe. Shamans often serve as the keepers of knowledge and legend for their people, and lead the tribe in the various rites and ceremonies required by the tribe’s belief system. A player character shaman may still be associated with his tribe, or he may be a wanderer or exile who has abandoned his duties.
Shamans may be of any alignment. They are always found in tribal or barbaric cultures—if a player wishes to run a shaman in a more civilized campaign setting, his character is considered to be a barbaric foreigner by most common folk he meets. The shaman’s arduous life in uncivilized lands requires a good Constitution, and Wisdom is required for dealing with tribal matters and speaking to the spirits. A shaman with a Wisdom of 16 or better earns a 10% bonus to the experience points he gains. Shamans also follow the same level advancement as clerics do.
The shaman is an unusual character in the adventuring party. Like the druid, he is not a front-line fighter, but he also lacks the high-powered combat spells that the druid commands. However, his mysterious spirit powers allow him to make use of magic that is usually out of the reach of low-level characters. A shaman who demonstrates intelligence and respect in dealing with the spirits can be an extremely effective character in a number of situations. Shamans view themselves as advisors and guides to a party of adventurers and often have an uneducated but insightful view on the more civilized societies they visit.
Shamans may wear any armor normally associated with their tribe. In the absence of more specific information, tribal armor is usually hide, leather, or studded leather with a tough wooden, wicker, or hide-covered shield. Similarly, shamans may use tribal weapons, which usually include the short bow, club, dagger, dart, hand axe, harpoon, javelin, knife, quarterstaff, sling, and spear. Blowguns might be appropriate for shamans of jungle tribes, or light lances and composite bows for shamans of tribal horsemen.
Shamans may use any magical items normally usable by priests. They have a nonweapon proficiency crossover with the warrior group and can learn priest or warrior proficiencies at the normal cost. Shamans have major access to the spheres of all, animal, protection, summoning, travelers, and wards, as well as minor access to healing and plant. Shamans never gain followers or establish strongholds. Good-aligned shamans may turn undead, and neutral or evil shamans may command undead.
In addition to their priest spells, shamans have a special connection to the spirit world and can call on the spirits for guidance, knowledge, or magical aid. While shamans often function as priests of a tribal deity, their primary concern is the spirit world. To a shaman, the physical world is not the entirety of existence; the spirits of animals, nature, and the tribe’s dead are always near, and interacting with these spirits is the shaman’s greatest duty and responsibility.
Shaman Spirit Powers: A shaman begins play with one minor spirit ally or guide of his choice; it’s assumed that he has already performed the rites to summon this first guide. As he rises in level, he learns the rites necessary to call additional spirits. Spirits are individuals—speaking to a spirit of the dead means the shaman is in contact with one particular deceased individual. There are dozens of spirits for each species of animal, representing every aspect of the animal’s existence, and a near-infinite number of nature spirits. The number of spirits a shaman knows how to contact appears on Table 5: Shaman Spirits Per Level.
Performing the ceremony to call a spirit for the first time requires a week or more of fasting, prayer, and solitude in the appropriate location—if the shaman is trying to call a wolf spirit, he must find a location frequented by wolves, and if he is trying to call a dead spirit, he should perform the ceremony at the individual’s burial site. At the conclusion of this week-long ceremony, the spirit appears, and the shaman establishes contact with it. From that time forward, the shaman may attempt to contact the spirit anywhere or anytime to seek information or request a favor of the spirit—see Calling Spirits.
Spirits of the Dead: These ancestral spirits are individuals who were renowned for their wisdom, skill, or courage in life. Minor spirits may be recent relatives of the shaman, while major spirits are great heroes and wise men of the tribe. A great spirit of the dead is a chieftain or other personage of legendary standing. While spirits of the dead may seem to be frightening allies, they are actually very protective of their living protégé and bear few grudges against the living.
Spirits of the dead know many things. Naturally, they are familiar with any details or events of their own lifetimes. They are able to perceive the shaman’s future and can offer advice in times of tough choices. Dead spirits can also provide some measure of protection for the shaman and his allies by using their power on the shaman’s behalf. Minor spirits can invoke the powers of augury, feign death, prayer, or speak with dead on behalf of the shaman; major spirits can invoke divination, commune, or find the path for the shaman; and great spirits can invoke raise dead, forbiddance, or astral spell for the shaman. Spells invoked by spirits are cast at the level of the shaman, unless the spell is normally cast at a level higher than the shaman has access to. If the latter is the case, then the spell is cast at the minimum required level of that particular spell. Note that these are spells normally outside the shaman’s spheres of access. In addition, there can be other role-playing effects gained in conversation with the spirits, such as information or guidance in making difficult choices.
The 1st-level shaman
Shotheri decides that his first spirit guide will be the spirit of his
grandfather, who was the tribe’s shaman when Shotheri was a boy. Shotheri can
call upon his grandfather’s spirit for help and advice. When a shaman character
begins play, it’s assumed that he has already performed the ceremony to attract
his first spirit guide.
Animal Spirits: The shaman lives in a world in which animals are a vital part of human life. Animals provide food, shelter, clothing, and tools for the shaman’s people, and the animal spirits are revered for their wisdom and knowledge. Minor and major spirits are embodiments of an archetype, such as the Old Wolf, the Sleeping Bear, or the Hunting Eagle. Great animal spirits are the leaders of these lesser spirits and contain in themselves everything the animal stands for—the Great Bear, the Great Wolf, and so on.
Animal spirits are powerful, but they’re also less inclined to offer advice or guidance to the shaman. Their interest lies in ensuring that the shaman is respectful towards their species and helps to guide others in dealing with their kin, not in aiding the shaman in his own affairs. The spirits of game animals such as moose or deer don’t mind if the shaman or his people hunt the animal, but they grow angry if the hunting is wanton or disrespectful.
Animal spirits have knowledge of events that have affected their species in the local area and have a number of powers they can use on the shaman’s behalf. Minor animal spirits can aid the shaman by using animal friendship, speak with animals, or animal summoning I on his behalf. In addition, the animal spirit can grant a limited form of clairaudience and clairvoyance by allowing the shaman to see through the eyes of an animal of that species, with a range of one mile. Animals of the species in question will never attack the shaman or anyone under his protection unless the shaman has angered the spirit or the animals are magically controlled.
Major animal spirits can use animal summoning II on the shaman’s behalf, grant him the speed or movement powers of the animal (flying, swimming, or running at the animal’s base speed), or transform the shaman into the shape of the animal, similar to a druid’s shapechange. Great spirits can use animal summoning III, heal the shaman or one person under his protection, or become tangible and aid the shaman in a form resembling Mordenkainen’s faithful hound.
At 3rd level, Shotheri
gains the ability to call a second spirit. Consulting with his grandfather, he
decides that the Wise Owl would be a good spirit ally. Because Shotheri is only
3rd level, the Wise Owl is a minor spirit. Shotheri spends several weeks
studying owls and their habits, and then performs the ceremony to summon the
Wise Owl and speak to it.
Spirits of Nature: The most reclusive and powerful spirits are the elemental spirits of nature. These beings represent the physical world around the shaman. The strength or power of the feature the spirit represents determines whether it is considered a minor, major, or great spirit. A stream, copse, or hilltop may be home to a minor spirit; a river, moderate forest, or canyon may be guarded by a major spirit; and a mountain, large forest, or mighty river may be the home of a great spirit. Spirits of nature frequently take on human-like features or characteristics when dealing with a shaman, so a spirit might be known as Old Mountain, River Woman, or Forest Walker.
Spirits of nature are even more distant than animal spirits, but they do feel some attachment for the people and creatures who live nearby. A river spirit is likely to be protective of the village built on its banks, as long as the people show respect to it. Nature spirits often change with the seasons, so a river spirit in the spring flood may be wild, capricious, and dangerous to deal with, while a forest spirit in winter may be sleeping and hard to rouse.
At 5th level, Shotheri
gains the power to summon a major spirit. Since he has been spending a lot of
time in the forests near his home village, he chooses to befriend the Birch
Woman, a spirit of a great belt of birch trees in the forest’s heart.
Spirits of nature are generally well-informed about anything that has taken place in their location and can relate this information to the shaman. Spirits of nature are also capable of using potent powers on the shaman’s behalf; the principle difference between minor and great spirits is the size of the area in which they can be summoned. Minor spirits are bound to one specific site not more than a few hundred yards across, major spirits are limited to five or ten square miles, and great spirits can act in areas the size of small nations. Note that the areas of effect of spell-like abilities remain unchanged—a great spirit is powerful because the region in which he is available to assist the shaman is much larger than a minor spirit’s range.
Spirits of nature can help a shaman by invoking a number of spell-like powers for the shaman. Unlike elementals, spirits of nature include aspects of vegetation and all the elements of their home, so a mountain spirit has influence over earth and air as well as the forests that grow on the mountain’s slopes. The abilities available to spirits of nature are described below.
Land Spirits: entangle, pass without trace, dust devil, trip, meld into stone, snare, speak with plants, commune with nature, stonetell, liveoak, wall of thorns, animate rock, and changestaff. Land spirits may be associated with mountains, plains, forests, plateaus, canyons, mesas, or any other distinct land feature.
Air Spirits: obscurement, call lightning, gust of wind, wind wall, commune with nature, air walk, control winds, weather summoning, control weather, uncontrolled weather, and windwalk. Air spirits are associated with high peaks, windswept plains or valleys, or seasonal winds such as a scirocco or the north wind of the winter.
Water Spirits: wall of fog, fog cloud, water breathing, water walk, lower water, solid fog, reflecting pool, commune with nature, part water, and transmute dust to water. Water spirits are associated with lakes, streams, rivers, or seas.
Calling Spirits: Once a shaman has performed the initial ceremony that attracts a spirit and establishes a connection to the being, he can summon that spirit anytime to seek the information, favors, and powers described above. The shaman’s location doesn’t matter; a spirit can come to him anywhere, even though spirits of nature may not be able to help him outside their homes.
To summon a spirit, the shaman must chant, pray, and perform a ceremonial dance for at least 1 turn. The base chance of success is 10% per character level, plus 10% for every additional turn the character chants and dances, to a maximum 90% chance of success. If the shaman has already attempted to summon a spirit that day, his maximum chance of success falls by 10% per summoning attempt—a shaman who has called one spirit, tried to call another and failed, and is trying a third summoning has a maximum success chance of 70%, or possibly less if he’s a low-level character in a hurry. In any event, a shaman may attempt no more than one calling per level in the course of a single day. A roll of 96 or higher (91 or higher in the case of spirits of nature) angers the spirit the shaman is trying to call.
If the spirit isn’t angry at the shaman for some reason, it appears with a successful roll. Only shamans can see the spirit or speak to it; other characters may be aware of chills, strange odors, shimmering hazes, unusual gusts of wind, and other signs. The shaman can converse with the spirit for one round per character level, asking one question per round. Asking a favor of a spirit, such as the use of a spell-like ability, requires one round for minor abilities, two for major, and three for abilities that can only be granted by great spirits. During this request the shaman explains what he wishes of the spirit and why the spirit should help him; if the DM thinks it appropriate, the player must role-play this conversation. If the spirit agrees to help, the spell-like effect is granted to the shaman, who may "hold" it for up to one full day until he’s ready to invoke the spirit’s power. A shaman can only hold one favor at a time and can’t request another of any spirit until he has used the held ability.
Shotheri and his companions
are getting ready to attack an orc encampment in the woods. Shotheri decides to
summon his grandfather and seek aid in the upcoming battle. Since he’s now a
5th-level shaman, he has a 50% chance of success to summon him after one turn,
a 60% chance after two turns, and so on. Shotheri decides to dance for two
turns, and succeeds in calling the spirit. Shotheri requests a prayer spell to
be used during the battle. Shotheri’s on good terms with his grandfather’s
spirit, and he gains the spell.
Later that day, the orc
chieftain escapes Shotheri’s party and flees into the forest. Shotheri used his
grandfather’s favor during the fight, but now he needs to summon the Birch
Woman to ask her where the orcs have gone. Fortunately for Shotheri, the orc’s
camp happened to be located in the Birch Woman’s woods. Shotheri has a 50%
chance to summon her, and he decides to dance for three additional turns to
raise this to an 80% chance—the best he can do, since this is the second spirit
he’s called today. Shotheri succeeds again. This time, he isn’t seeking any
favors. He just asks the Birch Woman where the orcs went. The Birch Woman
agrees to help, but only if Shotheri ensures that no fiery spells are used
against the orcs—she remembers the time that the party’s wizard used a fireball
while fighting a pair of trolls in her woods.
When they finally track
down the orc chieftain, Shotheri decides that he will try to summon the Wise
Owl to learn what the chieftain is planning. Since this is his third summoning
of the day, his success chance can be no better than 70%, and Shotheri dances
for three full turns to get to that chance. Unfortunately, Shotheri rolls a 99
on his check, and the Wise Owl is angered by his efforts. The DM decides that
Shotheri hasn’t done much to help the Owl lately, and that the spirit refuses
to come until Shotheri finds a way to reaffirm his loyalty to the spirit.
Spirits as NPCs: Spirits are individuals, and they have long memories. A shaman who takes actions the spirits find offensive, or who asks their help in questionable circumstances, may be denied assistance just because the spirit doesn’t feel like being helpful. The DM may find it useful to refer to Table 59: Encounter Reactions in the DMG; simply rate the spirit’s frame of mind as threatening, hostile, indifferent, or friendly depending on how the shaman’s been acting and how outrageous the shaman’s request is to the spirit. It’s a good idea to create personalities, motivations, and attitudes for the spirits the shaman deals with most often.
Spirits do not have game statistics; normal mortals have no means of injuring them, although other divine creatures may be able to do so. Only greater spirits can take a physical form, and even then they’re reluctant to do so. Greater spirits of the dead can briefly resume their living form with the appropriate class and abilities; animal spirits can appear as a double-sized version of the normal variety; and spirits of nature can appear as 12 HD elementals. In physical form, spirits can only be injured by +2 or better weapons, and even if they’re "killed," they only retreat from the scene for a short while.
Angering the Spirits: A shaman can completely alienate the spirits by taking particularly offensive actions. If the offense is temporary or unintentional, the spirit simply refuses to answer any calls for a suitable period of time—one week to a year may be appropriate. If the offense was deliberate or permanent in nature, the spirit severs its connection to the shaman and cannot be called again until the shaman atones for his offense, repairs whatever damage he did and repeats the week-long summoning ceremony.
Shamans and Player’s Option: Skills & Powers: Selecting this class for your Player’s Option character expends all class-derived character points, so a shaman may not acquire additional class abilities from the priest list. If you want to create a variant specialty priest resembling the shaman but with different powers, use the Customized Priest Characters section in this book to do so.
Customized Priest Characters At
least one of the five priest character classes presented in this book are
appropriate for almost any faith, but some unique priesthoods may require
special treatment. The point-based character design system explained here
allows a player to create almost any kind of priest character imaginable.
Generally, this system works much like the point-based wizard design rules
introduced in Chapter 1; it expands the specialty priest design rules from Player’s
Option: Skills & Powers.
A priest character receives 120 character points to purchase the spheres of access, granted abilities, and class abilities the player desires. Each ability costs a variable number of character points. A character can gain extra CPs with which to buy abilities by choosing limitations, or reduce the cost of an ability by deferring it to a higher level. An ability deferred to 3rd level is 1 point cheaper than normal, 2 points cheaper at 5th, 3 points cheaper at 7th, 4 points cheaper at 9th, and 5 points cheaper if deferred until 11th level. All abilities have a minimum cost of 1 CP.
The basic priest has a d8 Hit Die, uses the priest’s THAC0 and saving throw chart, gains the ability to cast priest spells as indicated on Table 24: Priest Spell Progression in the PHB, may use only bludgeoning weapons, may wear any kind of armor, and may use any magical item normally usable by priests. The priest does not begin play with any spheres of access; he must purchase each sphere of access he wishes to have available. For example, if a player wishes his priest to have major access to the sphere of elemental air, he needs to spend 5 CPs. If, on the other hand, he wants the priest to have minor access to all of the elemental spheres, he needs to spend 8 CPs.
For minor alterations to an existing priest class, a customized character can begin the process with all the abilities and restrictions of the cleric, crusader, or any other variety of priest. If this is the starting point for the customized character, the character receives 0 CPs to purchase new abilities; he must take limitations to compensate for all new abilities he selects.
Table 6:
Access Costs
Sphere Minor Major Sphere Minor Major
All 3 5 Healing 5 10
Animal 5 10 Law 5 8
Astral 3 5 Necromantic 5 10
Chaos 5 8 Numbers 5 10
Charm 5 10 Plant 5 10
Combat 5 10 Protection 5 10
Creation 5 10 Summoning 5 10
Divination 5 10 Sun 3 5
Elemental 8 20 Thought 5 10
Air 2 5 Time 5 10
Earth 3 8 Travelers 3 5
Fire 3 8 War 3 5
Water 2 5 Wards 5 10
Guardian 3 5 Weather 5 10
Optional Abilities
A customized specialty priest is constructed from the list of optional abilities and restrictions below. A priest begins with 120 CPs to purchase abilities and may gain additional CPs by taking limitations.
Access to spheres (variable): The priest must purchase each sphere of access with character points. He may cast spells only from spheres he has access to and may only cast spells of 4th level or higher if he has major access to a sphere. Normal cleric access costs 100 points; druid access costs 70 points; crusader access costs 55 points; monk access costs 60 points; and shaman access costs 60 points. See Table 6: Access Costs.
Animal empathy (10): This ability is similar to that of the ranger character class. If the priest carefully approaches a natural animal, he can modify the animal’s reactions. Domestic or nonhostile animals are befriended automatically, while wild animals or those trained to attack must make a saving throw vs. rod, staff, or wand to resist the priest’s overtures. The priest imposes a saving throw penalty of –1 per three experience levels (–1 at 1st to 3rd, –2 at 4th to 6th, and so on.) If the animal fails to save, its reaction is shifted one category as the priest chooses—for example, from hostile to threatening, or neutral to friendly.
Armor Class improvement (15): The priest is trained in avoiding blows through timing and deception. His natural Armor Class improves by one point at every even level (AC 9 at 2nd, 8 at 4th, 7 at 6th, and so on) to a maximum of AC 2. However, this ability is useless if the priest wears any form of armor or magical devices which replace armor, like bracers of defense.
Casting time reduction (5): The casting time of the priest’s spells is reduced by 1, to a minimum of 1.
Cold resistance (5): The priest enjoys an unusual resistance to natural and magical cold, gaining a +2 bonus to saving throws versus these effects. Ice-based attacks or effects are included in the priest’s resistance.
Combat bonus (20): The priest’s THAC0 advances at the warrior rate of 1 per level instead of the normal priest rate of 2 per 3 levels. The effects of this ability become more pronounced at higher levels.
Communication (10): A priest with this ability learns one language per level from a related group of racial tongues. For example, a druid learns the languages of woodland or sylvan races. A priest of a god of the sea might learn the languages of aquatic races instead, while a dwarven priest could learn the languages of mountain races or creatures of stone.
Detect evil (10): This power allows the priest to use detect evil once per day per two levels (twice a day at 3rd, three times a day at 5th, etc.). The priest must stand still and concentrate for one round; in all other respects the ability operates just like a detect evil spell cast by the priest.
Detect undead (10): A priest with this ability may use detect undead once per day per two levels. He need only stand still and concentrate for one round to invoke the power. The duration and area of effect are the same as a detect undead spell cast by the priest.
Expert healer (10): A priest with this power gains one additional cure light wounds per day in addition to any he chooses to memorize.
Extended spell duration (10/15): The duration of any noninstantaneous spell cast by the priest is increased by one time unit per two levels. The unit of time varies, depending on how the spell’s duration is normally measured; rounds for rounds, turns for turns, and so on. For 10 points, this applies to spells of one sphere and for 15 points to spells of all spheres.
Fire/electrical resistance (7): The priest gains a +2 bonus to saving throws vs. fire or electrical effects, including both natural phenomena and magical attacks.
Followers (5/10): For 5 points, the priest gains followers as described in the Player’s Handbook for the standard cleric—at 8th level, 20 to 200 soldiers arrive to serve the character. If the priest spends 10 CPs on this ability, he gains these followers whenever he establishes a suitable stronghold, regardless of level.
Hit point bonus (10): A priest with this ability uses a d10 for his Hit Die instead of a d8.
Identify plants and animals (5/8): At 3rd level, the character gains the ability to identify natural plants and animals. He may also identify pure water. For an additional 3 CPs, the priest has this ability at 1st level.
Immunity to charm (5+): At 7th level, the priest becomes immune to charm effects or spells cast by a group of related creatures, such as woodland creatures, undead, plant monsters, extraplanar monsters, or wizards. The priest may gain this power at an earlier level for a cost of +1 CP per level (6 CPs at 6th level, 7 at 5th, and so on.) Each class of monsters or races the priest is immune to costs an additional 5 CPs each.
Immunity to magic (15): The priest enjoys partial immunity to one type of magic—alterations, invocations, necromancy, and so on. Both wizard and priest spells of this type are included. The priest gains a +4 bonus to saving throws against spells of the type chosen, or a normal, nonpenalized saving throw against spells that do not normally allow a save.
Immunity to natural disease (10): The priest is immune to normal diseases, although magical diseases such as lycanthropy and mummy rot still affect him. This is similar to the paladin’s ability to resist disease.
Inspire/enrage allies (5/10): Through his prayers and exhortations, the priest can inspire his allies in battle, giving them a +1 bonus to their attack rolls and saving throws. The priest must do nothing but chant for at least three full rounds before his allies gain bonuses, and the effects last for 1d3 rounds after he stops. All allies within 10 feet of the priest are affected. As a 10-point power, his allies become enraged, increasing the bonuses to +2. The priest can do nothing else while using this power.
Know alignment (15): Once per day per two levels, the priest may make use of know alignment. The spell functions exactly as if it was actually cast by the priest.
Lay on hands (10): The priest has the power to lay on hands once per day, curing up to 2 points of damage per experience level. This is identical to the paladin character class ability.
Pass without trace (5/7): At 3rd level, the priest gains the ability to pass without trace, as per the spell, at his normal movement rate. For 7 CPs the character may have this ability at 1st level.
Proficiency group crossovers (5+): Normally, priests may learn nonweapon proficiencies from the priest and general lists at no extra cost. Each additional crossover group costs 5 CPs and allows the priest to learn nonweapon proficiencies from another character group’s list with no penalty.
Purify water (5): Once per day, the priest may make use of a purify food and drink spell, applying it to water or brine only. The power operates as a spell cast by the priest in respect to area of effect.
Resist energy drain (5/15): Priests with this ability gain a +1 to saving throws versus the energy drain spell and the level-draining attacks of the undead. If the attack does not normally allow a saving throw, the power has no effect, but the saving throw modifier does apply to characters under a negative plane protection. For 15 points, this ability allows a priest to attempt a saving throw vs. spell with a –4 penalty to avoid a level-draining attack that normally allows no saving throw.
Secret language (5): Priests with this ability share a secret form of communication that only they understand. This permits secure conversations in almost any setting.
Shapechange (15+): This is the druid’s normal shapechange power. Beginning at 7th level, he may change into a mammal, reptile, or bird three times per day—each form may be used once. Each transformation heals 10%–60% of any damage the character has sustained. The acquisition of this power may be accelerated for 2 CPs per level, so for 17 CPs the priest may shapechange at 6th level.
Spell-like granted power (special): Many priests have unusual granted powers that simulate the effects of various spells. Unlike spells, these granted powers require no material components. A spell-like granted power may be invoked once per week and has a base cost of 10 CPs, plus the following modifiers:
1 CP/spell level for priest spells
2 CPs/spell level for wizard spells
5 CPs for a once per day use
1 CP/level for each additional daily use
10 CPs for a continuous or persistent power
For example, a priest who wishes to invoke a fireball once per week would pay 10 CPs, plus 6 CPs (3rd-level wizard spell), for a total of 16 CPs. The ability to use the power once per day would cost an additional 5 CPs, for a total of 21 CPs. Using cure light wounds three times per day would cost 10+1+5+2, for a total of 18 CPs.
Regardless of the amount of points paid, a priest may not have a spell-like granted power of 6th or higher level and is limited to no more than one granted power per two levels—one at 1st level, one at 3rd, one at 5th, and so on. The DM should carefully review any proposed granted powers. Note that when the priest invokes a power, factors such as range, damage, duration, and other effects are determined as if he had actually cast the spell.
Spirit powers (30+): A priest with this ability commands spirit powers, as described for the shaman earlier in this chapter. For 30 CPs, the shaman may contact one class of spirit: dead, animal, or nature. For each additional 5 CPs, the shaman may contact one more class, so 40 CPs gives the character full spirit powers.
Thief ability (10+): For 10 CPs, the priest may select one thief ability. Each additional 5 CPs allows the priest to select an additional ability, up to a maximum of four abilities. (Backstab and thieves’ cant may be selected as abilities.) The priest’s percentile score increases as noted on Table 19: Thief Average Ability Table of the DMG. Modifiers for race, armor worn, and Dexterity still apply to this score.
Turn undead (15): A priest with this power may turn undead, using Table 61: Turning Undead in the PHB. Priests of evil alignment may command undead.
Unarmed combat skills (15): The priest is a specialist in unarmed combat, as described under the monk entry earlier in this chapter. At 1st level, the character is a specialist; at 5th level, a master; at 9th level, a high master; and at 13th level, a grand master.
Warrior ability bonuses (15/20): If the priest has a Constitution score of 17 or 18, he gains the additional +3 or +4 hit point adjustment allowed for warriors instead of the normal +2. For an additional 5 points, the priest may roll an exceptional Strength score of up to 18/50 if he has a strength of 18.
Weapon selection (5/10): For 5 CPs, the priest is allowed to include one edged weapon in his list of permissible weapons, or instead he may have access to a list of tribal or special weapons approved by the DM—for example, the druid or thief selections. For 10 CPs, the priest may wield any weapon he wishes to.
Weapon specialization (25): This ability allows a priest to specialize in a weapon using the normal specialization rules. Note that the priest must still spend the required number of proficiency slots or character points to actually gain proficiency and specialization in a weapon.
Wizardly priest (25): A priest with this power may treat one school of wizard spells as another sphere of access. Spells memorized from this school count against the priest’s memorization limits, just as if they were additional priest spells.
Optional Limitations
By choosing limitations, a priest character can gain extra character points to select class abilities, thus balancing out any "overspending" in the previous step. For example, if a priest selected abilities totalling 135 CPs, he would be 15 CPs over the normal limit of 120, so he would have to select 15 CPs of limitations to pay for his additional abilities.
If a priest character begins with a standard package (i.e., the player chooses to begin with a cleric, crusader, druid, monk, or shaman), he can add new abilities by taking limitations on a one-for-one basis. For example, a standard cleric with the wizardly priest advantage must come up with 25 points of limitations to balance the 25-point ability. The available limitations are as follows:
Armor restriction (5+): The priest is limited in his choice of armor. As a 5-point limitation, the priest is restricted to chain mail or lighter armor; for 10 points, he is limited to studded leather or lighter armor; and for 15 points, the priest may not wear any armor at all.
Awkward casting method (5): Spells cast by the priest are unusually obvious—the priest may be surrounded by a glowing halo of divine light, he may have to invoke his deity’s power with peals of thunder and tremors in the ground, or some sensation (fear, cold, elation) may be noticed by anyone nearby. Any intelligent creature in earshot automatically notices the priest’s spellcasting, even if they weren’t paying attention to him before. Casting spells from ambush or without being observed is nearly impossible with this limitation.
Behavior/taboo (2): The priest’s religion has an unusual code of behavior or conduct that may hinder him in certain situations. For example, a priest may be required to speak a ten-minute prayer every time he crosses a river, which could be very inconvenient if he was being pursued. Another priest might be required to use cure spells on anyone in need, expending spells on strangers or NPCs instead of his companions. A priest who violates his behavior guideline loses access to his spells and must perform some appropriate penance for his failing.
Ceremony/observance (5): The priest’s faith demands the observance of a special event or ceremony every day, such as a prayer at sunrise, a small sacrifice or libation performed in a certain way, or a lengthy atonement for the day’s thoughts and actions. The priest must drop whatever he is doing to perform the ceremony; there are no excuses for missing it. A priest who skips the ceremony may lose his memorized spells or suffer some other sign of his deity’s disfavor until he finds a way to atone.
Difficult spell acquisition (5): The priest’s deity is particularly demanding about granting spells, and the priest can pray for spells only in very specific circumstances. For example, the priest might only be able to gain spells in a temple of his deity, he might have to wait for certain celestial alignments or phases of the moon, or he might be required to fast and pray for a minimum of three days before gaining spells. In general, this limitation should make it hard for the priest to gain spells while traveling or adventuring.
Fanaticism (5): A priest with this limitation comes from an intolerant faith. Followers of other powers must convert or forfeit their lives. The priest absolutely refuses to accept any companion who does not worship the power he represents and suffers a –4 reaction adjustment with any NPCs not of his faith—the priest can’t hide his contempt for nonbelievers.
Hazardous spells (10): Channeling the power of a deity can be dangerous, and a priest with this limitation can sustain harmful side-effects from casting spells. The priest might suffer 1 point of damage per spell level when he casts a spell, with a saving throw vs. breath weapon for half damage. Another option would be a chance (5% per spell level, –2% per character level, minimum 1%) of losing all spells in memory and being feebleminded for 1d3 days.
Limited magical item use (5+): The priest is banned from using certain types of magical items. For each category of magical item he cannot use, he gains a 5-point limitation. The categories are: potions, oils, and scrolls; rings; rods, staves, and wands; miscellaneous magic; and weapons and armor.
Limited spell selection (5): The prayers required to petition the priest’s deity for spells are extremely complex. In fact, they are as complex as a wizard’s spells, and as a result the priest is required to build a "spell book" of priest spells. First, this limits the priest to a maximum number of spells per level, as indicated by his Intelligence score. Secondly, the priest must make a learn spells roll in order to add a new spell to his selection; if the priest fails to learn a spell, he may not try to learn it again until he gains another level.
Reduced hit points (10/20): A priest with this limitation uses a smaller Hit Die than normal. For 10 points, the priest uses a d6 Hit Die; for 20 points, the priest uses a d4 Hit Die.
Reduced spell progression (15): A priest with this restriction memorizes one less spell of each level than normal; a 1st-level priest gains 0 1st-level spells instead of 1, and so on. If the priest’s spell allocation for any given level is reduced to 0 by this limitation (like the 1st-level priest above), he gains no bonus spells for an exceptional Wisdom score for that character level.
Slower casting times (5): The priest’s spells are unusually long-winded; all casting times are increased by 3. A casting time of one round or longer is simply doubled.
Talisman/symbol (8): The priest’s spell powers are focused through one specific talisman or holy symbol. Without this symbol, he is incapable of casting spells. If his talisman is destroyed or stolen with no hope of recovery, he may create a new one with 1d4 weeks of prayer, meditation, and fasting in his home temple.
Weapon restriction (5/15): Unless otherwise stated, a priest character has access to the cleric’s weapon selection of any Type B weapon. A priest with this limitation is further restricted to the staff, club, war hammer, horseman’s mace, and horseman’s flail. For 15 points, the priest is not allowed to gain proficiency in any weapon.
Dealing with Game-Breaking
Characters
As noted before in the chapter on wizards, a point-based character design system allows players a chance to create extremely capable characters, especially if role-playing disadvantages are used to finance game mechanic bonuses. The DM should carefully review any character assembled under these rules and make a special note of weaknesses or blind spots. Even a minor role-playing disadvantage can go a long ways towards discouraging an unbalanced design if the DM is a little creative.
Chapter 3:
Other Spellcasters
Naturally, wizards and priests aren’t the only spellcasters in the AD&D game. Rangers, paladins, and bards are all capable of casting spells. In addition, a variety of monsters cast spells as well, or make use of spell-like powers. While magic is a secondary skill for most of these characters, it is a very potent tool—or weapon—and can provide significant advantages even at low levels. For example, a bard with spider climb, comprehend languages, and clairaudience will never have to worry about missing a crucial climb walls, detect noise, or read languages roll.
In this chapter, we’ll take a look at some of these other spellcasters and their magical abilities. A character who combines the basic skills of another class with some degree of magical ability is extremely flexible and effective. And of course, villains with a similar range of powers are among the most dangerous enemies a PC party can face.
For our purposes, other spellcasters fall into four general categories: bards and custom-designed characters; paladins, rangers, and minor spellcasters; multi-classed characters; and monsters with magical powers. Bards, paladins, and rangers may all make use of the optional spell point rules presented in Chapter 6.
Bards and Custom Designed Characters Bards are versatile adventurers whose primary abilities include a fair assortment of spell powers. Unlike rangers and paladins, who don’t gain spell abilities until relatively late in their careers, bards may make use of a limited selection of spells at the beginning of their careers and cast spells at their actual experience level, not at a reduced level of effectiveness. In addition, the rapid level progression of the rogue character group means that low-level bards increase in magical power almost as quickly as their wizard counterparts, especially if player characters share spells.
Bards are described in great detail in the Player’s Handbook. As the jacks-of-all-trades of the AD&D game, bards have the weapon choices of a fighter, the skills of a thief, and some of the magical power of a wizard. Bards have a slower spell progression than true wizards, and they are limited to spells of 6th level or less. In addition, bards never gain spells automatically and must acquire their spells by luck and circumstance, finding them wherever they can. Bards are subject to all the normal restrictions concerning wizard spells, including maintenance of spell books and use of armor while casting spells.
The term ‘custom-designed character’ refers to any other dilettante who has access to spells throughout their adventuring careers. A character of this type may enjoy the spell progression similar to that of a bard, or he may acquire spells in some other fashion, but he is not a true wizard or priest. Generally, custom-designed characters are created using the character class design rules from the Dungeon Master® Guide.
Bards and customized characters may not specialize in a school of magic. Bards do not gain the ability to cast spells until they reach 2nd level, at which point they begin with a spell book of 1d4 randomly determined spells. Note that bards are not guaranteed spells of the school of universal magic, as wizards are—their lack of formal training means that these spells are as unfamiliar to them as spells of the other schools.
Bards in Player’s Option:
Spells & Magic
While this book is primarily intended for players of priest and wizard characters, much of this information is relevant for bard characters, too. The chapters describing proficiencies, equipment, spells in combat, critical hits, new spells, and new magical items are all applicable to bards. In addition, the new magical system in Chapter 6 includes rules for bards and other such spellcasters. In addition, you’ll find that this chapter introduces some new variants for bardic spell ability.
The Bard’s Spell Book: Bards must keep spell books, just as wizards do, but a bardic spell book is not the same thing as a wizard spell book. When a bard discovers a spell in a wizard’s spell book or on a scroll and wishes to copy it into his own spell book, he may not be able to immediately do so. In fact, at 1st level, the bard only has a 40% chance to comprehend the wizard spell as it is written. This chance increases by 5% per level to a maximum of 85% at 10th level. If the bard is able to make sense of the wizard spell (or uses read magic to read it), he may then attempt to learn the spell and add it to his repertoire by translating the spell into bardic spell notes.
Translating a spell from wizard notation to bardic notation requires one week and 100 gp in materials. When the translation is complete, the bard attempts a learn spells check to see if he can add the spell to his spell book. If the check fails, he can always wait until he gains a level before examining his notes again.
Bards add spells to their book only through luck and happenstance. With the exception of spell translations, bards may not engage in spell research or scroll research. Bards may only gain access to new spells by using another bard’s spell book, chancing upon a wizard spell they happen to understand, or translating a wizard spell they don’t. If the DM is generous, a bardic college or hall might have bardic spell translations available for trade or purchase.
Bards and Scroll Use: Normally, bards must wait until 10th level before using wizard scrolls; spells on scrolls are recorded in a wizard’s notation, and as described earlier, a bard often can’t make sense of a wizard’s notes. As an optional rule, the DM may permit the bard character to attempt to read wizard scrolls before 10th level. His chance of success is 25% at 4th level, plus 10% for each level above 4th, to a maximum of 85% at 10th level. If the bard fails to read the spell correctly, the effect may be less (or more!) than expected, or it may affect someone or something besides its intended target. Obviously, this makes low-level spell use a very hazardous thing for a bard, but if the character’s willing to take a chance, he can try it.
Optional Abilities for Bards
Bard characters may modify their spell abilities by selecting optional abilities or restrictions from the following list. Note that these concentrate on the bard’s spell powers; the other basic class abilities remain unchanged. For each optional ability selected, the bard character must take a restriction of equal value, so that the total number of character points spent remains 0. Or, these abilities may be added to the bard list in Player’s Option: Skills & Powers.
Accelerated spell progression (15): The bard enters Table 32: Bard Spell Progression in the PHB as if he were one level higher. A 1st-level bard with this advantage has the spell power of a 2nd-level bard, a 4th-level bard is treated as a 5th-level bard, and so on.
Armor and spell use (5/10): Normally, a bard cannot wear armor and cast spells. For 5 CPs, he may wear leather or lighter armor and still use spells; for 10 CPs, he may wear any kind of armor normally usable by a bard and still cast spells.
School specialization (10): A bard with this power may select a school of magic in which to specialize. He may choose enchantment/charm, illusion, or song magic as his specialty. Bard specialists gain all the normal benefits and restrictions associated with school specialization, including opposition schools and penalties to learning spells outside their chosen school. However, they may not engage in spell research.
Scroll use (10): This is the optional ability described above under Bards and Scroll Use. Instead of waiting until 10th level, the bard may attempt to use wizard spell scrolls at 4th level. His success chance is 25%, plus 10% per experience level above 4th (maximum 85%). If the reading fails, the scroll’s effects usually rebound on the bard or his companions with deleterious results.
Wizard magical item use (10): A bard with this ability may make use of magical items normally reserved for use by wizards, including wands, rings, and miscellaneous magical items, but not rods or staves.
Optional Limitations for Bards
Awkward casting method (5): The bard’s spells require either loud singing or the strong playing of an instrument of some kind, making it impossible to cast spells discretely or quietly. He will almost never be able to cast spells without revealing a place of concealment or tipping off an ambush.
Opposition school (5+): The bard may not make use of spells from one philosophical school of magic or make use of magical items that duplicate that school’s effects. (Schools that are in opposition to any specialty schools of the character can’t be selected for this restriction.) For each opposing school of philosophy, the character may take a 5-point restriction.
Reduced spell power (10): Since he is not a true wizard, the bard’s spells are of less power than a wizard’s. For purposes of all level-based characteristics (range, duration, area of effect, damage, and so on), a bard of 2nd–5th level effective casting level is one level lower, a 6th–9th level bard’s effective casting level is two levels lower, and a bard of 10th level or higher casts spells as if he were three levels lower.
Reduced spell progression (15): The bard can cast one less spell at each level than normal. For example, a 4th-level bard may normally memorize two 1st-level and one 2nd-level spell; with this restriction, he is reduced to memorizing only one 1st-level spell.
Unreliable casting method (5): The bard’s unorthodox approach to magic results in occasional failures, with spells just fizzling instead of taking effect. The chance for failure is 10% per spell level, less 2% per experience level. For example, a 6th-level bard casting a 2nd-level spell would have an 8% chance (20 minus 12) of failure.
Paladins, Rangers, and Minor Spellcasters Minor spellcasters include those characters whose primary abilities lie in other areas—paladins, rangers, and any other characters who gain minor magical abilities at higher levels. For these characters, spells are only a small part of their repertoire of abilities, often acquired late in their adventuring careers.
In many campaigns, the magical powers of minor spellcasters tend to be ignored. Since they have to wait longer than the wizards and priests of a campaign to gain their spell powers, minor spellcasters only have access to spells that their enemies can easily counter. When a 10th-level paladin can cure 20 points of damage by laying on hands, his cure light wounds seems insignificant, and his bless spell only takes his adjusted THAC0 from a 5 or so to a 4. The opponents that an 11th-level ranger is likely to be facing will have an easy time making their saves against an entangle spell. The spell powers of minor spellcasters are far more important to a character operating alone or looking for spells that support or enhance his abilities.
Paladins
Paladins gain the ability to cast priest spells from the spheres of combat, divination, healing, and protection at 9th level. Unlike true priest characters, paladins do not gain extra spells for high Wisdom scores and may not use clerical magical items. At 9th level, the paladin’s effective casting level is only 1st level; for each experience level past 9th, the paladin’s casting level increases by one, to a maximum of 9th level for a 17th-level paladin. (See Table 17: Paladin Spell Progression in the PHB.)
Since paladins only use priest spells, they may use armor with no restrictions while casting spells. However, the character should have at least one hand free to present his holy symbol or any other material components required, so a character might have to drop a shield or second weapon in order to cast a spell.
Optional Spell Abilities for Paladins
The paladin’s spell powers can be customized, just like those of any other class. Some of the options available include the following:
Alternate Sphere Access (5+): Refer to Table 6: Access Costs in the previous chapter. Standard paladins have the equivalent of minor access to the spheres of combat, divination, healing, and protection, totalling 20 CPs. A paladin may choose to have minor access to any combination of alternate spheres totalling 20 CPs or less. For example, the paladin of a sea god might choose all, elemental water, healing, weather, and creation. Note that the paladin only pays for minor access, but still gains the ability to cast 4th-level spells. The paladin may exchange spheres for 5 CPs or buy additional spheres at the cost listed in Table 6.
Increased spell power (7): A paladin with this power casts spells with an effective casting level only four levels less than his true level and has no maximum casting level. Normally, a 9th-level paladin casts spells as a 1st-level priest, but with this ability the 9th-level paladin casts spells with the power of a 5th-level priest. Spell progression is unaffected; only level-based characteristics of an individual spell are affected by this ability.
Increased spell progression (10/15): A paladin with this power gains his spell ability earlier than 9th level. For 10 points, he begins to gain spells at 7th level; for 15 points, he begins to gain spells at 4th level. In all other respects, his spell powers are unchanged, and he simply enters Table 17 in the PHB at the level indicated. Each level he gains from that point on advances him one level on the chart, so a 7th-level paladin with this ability uses the 9th-level entry and goes on to the 10th-level entry when he rises to 8th level.
Optional Spell Limitations for Paladins
Since the scope of this book is simply to discuss magical powers, the paladin class-design options have not been included in their entirety. Players interested in creating customized paladin characters should refer to the Player’s Option: Skills & Powers book. The abilities above simply add to the slate of available powers for paladin characters.
If you wish to use these special advantages without the Skills & Powers rules, you can simply assign the paladin an experience point penalty of 30% plus 1% per point spent. If a paladin chooses increased spell progression and increased spell power, his total penalty would be 30% + 10% + 7%, or 47%; if the DM awards 3,000 experience points for an adventure, the paladin would gain 1,410 less than normal, only collecting 1,590 experience points. This slower advancement counters the character’s unusual advantages.
Rangers
Rangers gain the ability to cast priest spells at 8th level. They have access to the spheres of plant and animal. Like paladins, rangers don’t gain bonus spells for high Wisdom scores and may not use clerical magical items. At 8th level, the ranger casts spells with the effectiveness of a 1st-level priest; for each level past 8th, the ranger’s casting level increases by one, to a maximum of 9th level for a 16th-level ranger. (See Table 18: Ranger Abilities in the PHB.)
Like paladins, rangers may use armor with no restrictions while casting spells. However, the ranger should have at least one hand free to present his holy symbol or other material components, so a character might have to put down or drop a shield or second weapon in order to cast a spell.
Optional Spell Abilities for Rangers
The ranger’s spell powers can be customized, just like those of any other class. Some of the options available include the following:
Alternate sphere access (5+): Normally, rangers have minor access to the spheres of plant and animal, totalling 10 CPs. A ranger may choose to have minor access to any combination of alternate spheres totalling 10 CPs or less. For example, a ranger might choose travelers, elemental air, and healing. If spheres are exchanged on a point-for-point basis, this optional ability has a base cost of only 5 CPs, but a ranger may choose extra spheres of access and add the costs listed in Table 6: Access Costs.
Increased spell power (7): A ranger with this power casts spells with an effective casting level only four levels less than his true level and has no maximum casting level. Normally, an 8th-level ranger casts spells as a 1st-level priest, but with this ability the ranger has a casting level of 4 instead of 1. Spell progression is unaffected; only level-based characteristics of a spell are affected by this ability.
Increased spell progression (7/12): A ranger with this power gains his spell ability earlier than 8th level. For 7 points, he begins to gain spells at 6th level; for 12 points, he begins to gain spells at 4th level. In all other respects, his spell powers are unchanged, and he simply enters the Table 18 at the level indicated. Each level he gains from that point on advances him one level on the chart.
Optional Restrictions for Rangers
Ranger class-design options are discussed in detail in the Player’s Option: Skills & Powers book. The abilities above are simply added to the slate of available powers for ranger characters.
If you wish to use these abilities without the Skills & Powers rules, you can assign the ranger an experience point penalty of 30% plus 1% per point spent. If a ranger chooses access to two additional spheres totalling 8 points, his total penalty would be 30% + 13%, or 43%. If the DM awards 2,000 experience points for an adventure, the ranger would gain 860 less than normal, only collecting 1,140 experience points. This experience penalty will counter some of the character’s unusual advantages.
Multi-Classed Spellcasters Demihuman characters are some of the most popular and flexible characters in the AD&D game. In addition to their various racial advantages, most demihumans also have the ability to advance as multi-classed characters, such as an elf fighter/mage or a dwarf fighter/cleric. Generally, a multi-classed character may freely use abilities of either class but must also abide by class restrictions and penalties. For example, a fighter/mage can’t cast spells while wearing armor, nor could a fighter/thief try to move silently while wearing plate mail.
Multi-Classed Wizards
Armed with the spells of a wizard as well as fighting ability, stealth, or priestly magic, multi-classed wizards are powerful, flexible, and popular characters. The great range of powers offered by a wizard’s magic serve as a potent weapon for the character and augment the abilities of his other class. A thief/mage with access to spells such as spider climb, invisibility, and wraithform can do things no ordinary thief could attempt. A fighter/mage with a strength, stoneskin, or fire shield spell in operation is a deadly fighting machine. And the versatility and spell selection of a mage/cleric is truly impressive.
Elves, half-elves, and gnomes may be multi-classed wizards. Elves may be fighter/mages or mage/thieves; half-elves may be fighter/mages, cleric or druid/mages, thief/ mages, fighter/mage/clerics, or fighter/mage/thieves; and gnomes may be fighter/illusionists, cleric/illusionists, or illusionist/thieves. Other PC races from specific world-settings may be able to multi-class as wizards, too.
Specialist Wizards: Under most circumstances, a multi-classed wizard must be a mage; the single-minded study and devotion of a single magical specialty would demand the character’s full attention. The only exception is multi-classed gnome characters, who may be illusionists but can’t be mages.
However, if the DM agrees, a limited number of additional specialties may be available to the multi-classed character. Selecting one of these optional specializations costs a multi-classed character 20 character points under the Skills & Powers character design rules, or an experience point penalty of 20% for standard characters. The specializations available for each PC race are shown below:
Race New Specialties Allowed
Elf Enchanter, Song Mage, Wild Mage
Half-elf Transmuter, Force Mage, Song Mage, Wild Mage
Gnome* Artificer
* Gnomes may be multi-classed illusionists without paying a CP or experience point penalty.
Restrictions: Multi-classed wizards gain the full benefits of all their classes, but must abide by any restrictions that aren’t specifically negated by a class benefit. For example, a wizard/priest can use more weapons than a single-classed wizard, but is still limited to Type B weapons. The most important restriction is the character’s inability to cast spells while wearing armor. While a multi-classed fighter/wizard may wear any armor he chooses, the armor itself interferes with the character’s ability to cast spells. In order to cast a spell, the character must remove his armor. The only kinds of armor that do not interfere with spellcasting are elven chain mail and elven plate mail. (Note that single-classed wizards can’t use these special armors because they’re not trained in the wearing of armor.)
Optional powers: With the DM’s permission, multi-classed wizards may select some of the optional abilities described in Chapter 2, including armor, automatic spell acquisition, bonus spells, casting time reduction, no components, detect magic, dispel, enhanced casting level, extended duration, immunity, learning bonus, range increase, read magic, research bonus, and any restriction except reduced hit points. These can be paid for by balancing advantages with restrictions of equal value, or the character can accept an experience point penalty of 30% plus 1% for each point he spends on additional abilities. For example, a wizard who chooses the read magic ability (5 points) reduces the number of experience points he earns by 35 percent.
Multi-Classed Priests
Priests are versatile characters, with good fighting skills, potent spells, and a variety of special powers and talents. Combining the priest’s range of spell powers with the talents of another class results in a very capable character. As described in the Player’s Handbook, dwarves, gnomes, and half-elves may all be multi-classed priests: dwarves may be fighter/clerics; gnomes may be fighter/clerics, cleric/illusionists, or cleric/thieves; and half-elves may be fighter/clerics, fighter/druids, cleric or druid/rangers, cleric or druid/mages, or fighter/mage/clerics or druids.
Specialty Priests: Unless otherwise noted, a multi-classed priest character must be a cleric and not any other kind of specialty priest. Some campaign settings may have world-specific guidelines for multi-classed specialty priests; the campaign setting rules take precedence over other material in the Player’s Handbook, Player’s Option: Skills & Powers, or Player’s Option: Spells & Magic.
At the DM’s option, some of the varieties of specialty priest presented in Chapter 2 may be added to the list of multi-classed combinations. (See the chart below.) Since the capabilities of the various specialty priests are comparable to each other, there is no penalty for choosing to be a crusader or druid instead of a cleric.
Race Specialty Priesthoods Allowed
Dwarf Cleric, Crusader
Half-elf Cleric, Crusader, Druid
Gnome Cleric
Restrictions: The only limitation that applies to a multi-classed priest is the restricted selection of weapons available to a cleric or druid. Regardless of the character’s other class, he must abide by the weapon selection of his priest class. Of course, crusaders are able to wield any weapon, since they are not normally limited in this regard.
Optional powers: With the DM’s approval, multi-classed priests may select optional abilities described in Chapter 3, including animal empathy, casting time reduction, cold resistance, communication, detect evil, detect undead, expert healer, extended spell duration, fire/electrical resistance, identify plants and animals, immunity to charm, immunity to magic, immunity to natural disease, inspire/enrage allies, know alignment, lay on hands, pass without trace, purify water, resist energy drain, secret language, spell-like granted power, and turn undead. These can be paid for by balancing advantages with restrictions of equal value; the priest may choose any limitation except armor restriction (for druids) or weapon restriction. Optionally, the priest can accept an experience point penalty of 30% plus 1% for each point he spends on additional abilities. For example, a priest who chooses know alignment (15 points) reduces the number of experience points he earns by 45 percent.
Monsters Naturally, human and demihuman characters aren’t the only spellcasters in the AD&D game. The most powerful types of undead, the vampire and the lich, can command devastating magical abilities. Many extraplanar creatures have some degree of skill as wizards or priests, and every tribe of humanoids boasts a shaman or witch-doctor of some kind. In fact, many monsters are more skilled with spellcasting than the player characters of a campaign.
In addition to monstrous spellcasters, there are also hordes of creatures with magical powers that resemble spells. The most dangerous extradimensional monsters have a selection of spell-like powers that rivals the spell capability of a high-level wizard. Other creatures, such as dragons, gain both spell-like abilities and the power to actually cast wizard or priest spells.
Monstrous Spellcasters
Monsters who memorize and expend spells in the same fashion as player characters fall into this category. A monster that has a character level equivalent, such as a 19th-level lich or a 10th-level vampire mage, is a monstrous spellcaster. In general, monstrous spellcasters must abide by the same rules and restrictions of human and demihuman wizards and priests; monstrous wizards may not wear armor (although many monsters have a natural Armor Class to compensate), monstrous priests and mages may be restricted in choice of weapons, monstrous spellcasters must be able to use verbal, somatic, or material components required by the spell, and they can be interrupted by damage or other distractions during spellcasting.
There are several types of monstrous spellcasters, including humanoids, undead, extraplanar creatures, and (for lack of any better word) nonhumanoids. Most monsters have an effective casting level equal to their spell ability, so a cloud giant with the spell ability of a 4th-level priest casts spells as if he were 4th level, while a ki-rin with the spell ability of an 18th-level mage casts spells as an 18th-level wizard. A few rare monsters, such as dragons or kenku, have the ability to use spells of a certain level but aren’t wizards or priests with levels. Unless otherwise noted, these monsters have a casting level equal to their Hit Dice.
Humanoids: This category includes living monsters that are generally bipedal or humanoid in form, ranging from bullywugs or lycanthropes to githyanki or giants. In many cases, spellcasters are quite rare among their race; only 1 in 10 cloud giants has the ability to use wizard spells, for instance. The Monstrous Manual™ tome and The Complete Book of Humanoids describe dozens of races that have the ability to produce priests or wizards.
Undead: Human or demihuman spellcasters who retain their magical abilities after death fall into this category. The principle examples are liches and vampires. In both cases, the character’s class and level are retained through the transformation into undeath.
Extraplanar: A small number of extradimensional or extraplanar monsters have magical abilities. Some aasimon and yugoloths fall into this category, but creatures that are or formerly were mortal (githyanki, githzerai, tieflings, or einheriar) are considered to be humanoid spellcasters instead. Most extraplanar creatures also command a formidable array of spell-like abilities in addition to their memorized spells.
Creatures of this sort do not need spell books or extended periods of study to learn their spells; after a good rest, or a period of concentration or prayer, extraplanar spellcasters may choose their spells just as a mortal spellcaster would select spells from a book or pray for spells from his patron deity. The actual spell memorization only requires 1 to 3 turns, but the creature’s resting time or other preparations consume several hours at the minimum. In any event, spells may be memorized no more than once per day.
Extraplanar creatures with wizard spell ability are still limited in their total number of spells known—in effect, they carry their "spell books" in their own memory, and merely select which ones will be available during the course of a day. Creatures with priest spell ability are assumed have access to the same spheres available to a standard cleric.
Nonhumanoids: This broad category includes all other creatures who memorize and expend their spells. Couatl, dragons, lammasu, nagas, and sphinxes are just a few examples of nonhumanoid spellcasters. Generally, nonhumanoid spellcasters follow the same guidelines described under extraplanar spellcasters: they do not need spell books and simply recall their spells once per day. In addition, nonhumanoid spells have verbal components only; no somatic or material components are required, since creatures such as nagas or couatl develop variations on standard spells that do not require hands to cast.
Monstrous Specialists: Most monsters with spell ability are assumed to be mages or clerics. However, specialist wizards and specialty priests are not unheard of. First of all, humanoids from races familiar with magic, such as githyanki or githzerai, could quite easily be specialist wizards. Similarly, shamans are common among all kinds of barbarians, and goblin or bugbear shamans are reasonable.
Undead spellcasters could be specialist wizards or specialty priests of any variety, since they gained their magical powers during their lifetimes. On the other hand, extraplanar and nonhumanoid specialists would be fairly unusual, simply because these creatures have a wide array of powers to begin with. Some might be appropriate—a red dragon elemental fire specialist, an arcanaloth dimensionalist, or a planetar with druidic powers are all possible, if rare.
Monsters with Spell-like Abilities
Many monsters have the innate ability to use certain spells simply by an act of will. Most extraplanar monsters have an array of spell-like powers as formidable as the spell arsenal of a high-level wizard or priest, sylvan creatures such as dryads or brownies can charm or confuse their opponents, and even dragons have a handful of spell-like abilities based on their color and age. In fact, any monster that can use spell effects without an equivalent wizard or priest character level falls into this category.
Spell-like abilities are invoked by one round of concentration; the monster can do nothing else in that round except use a single power, just like a wizard or priest may only cast one spell per round. All spell-like abilities have an initiative modifier of +3, or fast under Player’s Option: Combat & Tactics rules. Unlike a true spellcaster, a monster with spell-like abilities can’t be interrupted by damage or distraction—if the creature survives the injury, the power functions that round regardless. (However, if a monster has both spell-like abilities and normal spells, any spells it actually casts can be interrupted.)
Unless otherwise stated in the monster’s description, spell-like abilities are considered to have an effective casting level equal to the monster’s Hit Dice, or the minimum character level necessary to use its highest-level ability, whichever is better. For example, a brownie has only half a Hit Die, but its spell-like abilities include confusion and dimension door, which are 4th-level wizard spells. Since a wizard must be at least 7th level to use 4th-level spells, a brownie’s spell-like abilities function as if it were a 7th-level caster. (Refer to Table 21: Wizard Spell Progression or Table 24: Priest Spell Progression in the Player’s Handbook.) This affects range, damage, duration, and all other level-based characteristics of a spell. A list of monsters from the Monstrous Manual tome with spell-like abilities follows, along with their effective casting level. Only creatures that don’t have a casting level noted are mentioned here in Table 7: Monster Casting Levels—you may want to note these in your copy of the book.
A creature with a spell-like ability may choose to use it simply by concentrating for one round. If the power can be maintained, the monster doesn’t need to concentrate to maintain it through the spell’s normal duration; after that, the monster must spend a round reactivating the power. For example, a brownie’s abilities include protection from evil, which has a duration of 2 rounds/level, or 14 rounds for a brownie. By invoking the power once, the brownie is affected by the spell for 13 more rounds, and it can then spend a round invoking the power again to be protected for another 14 rounds. This means that the monster may be able to invoke a power and then engage in physical attacks or take other actions while the power is active.
On the other hand, some spell-like abilities require the caster’s continuing attention while they’re active, such as a phantasmal force or ventriloquism spell. Invoking the power takes only one round, as described above, but after that the monster must spend each round concentrating on the power and doing nothing else in order to maintain it. A monster with multiple spell-like abilities can have any number of powers active at one time, as long as it spends one round invoking each and continues to concentrate on any powers that need its attention.
Restrictions: Generally, monsters with spell-like abilities are free of any restrictions normally associated with those spells; a monster with wizard spells among its spell-like abilities is not a wizard and may use any armor or weapons it cares to. Similarly, a monster with priest spells doesn’t have the ability to turn undead or any granted powers specific to a certain priesthood. No components are necessary, but the DM may rule that a bound and gagged monster may not be able to invoke certain abilities.
Many monsters with spell-like abilities may only make use of them a certain number of times per day; for example, a juvenile black dragon may use darkness three times per day, while a marilith tanar’ri may polymorph self up to seven times per day.
Table 7:
Monster Casting Levels
Monster Level
Arcane 10th
Baatezu, Pit Fiend 18th
Baatezu, Black Abishai 9th
Baatezu, Green Abishai 9th
Baatezu, Red Abishai 9th
Bat, Azmyth 6th
Bat, Sinister 9th
Bird, Talking Owl 3rd
Brownie 7th
Couatl 9th1
Deepspawn 11th
Dryad 7th
Elemental, earth kin, Pech 7th
Elf, drow 2nd2
Genie, Djinn 20th
Genie, Efreet 20th
Ghost 10th
Giant, Firbolg 13th
Gnome, Svirfneblin 4th
Gnome, Spriggan 4th
Imp, Imp or Quasit 7th
Imp, Fire Mephit 3rd
Imp, Smoke Mephit 3rd
Imp, Steam Mephit 3rd
Kenku by HD
Ki-rin 18th1
Leprechaun 16th
Ogre Mage 9th
Satyr 5th
Satyr, Korred 9th
Slaad, Blue 9th
Sphinx, Gynosphinx 11th
Sprite 3rd
Squid, Giant, Kraken 20th
Tanar’ri, Marilith 12th
Yuan-ti 9th
1 Also casts spells
2 Or by character level
Chapter 4:
Proficiencies
Wizards and priests have developed a number of unique and valuable skills to aid them in their pursuit of both magical and temporal power and knowledge. Literacy in ancient languages, knowledge of the maintenance of libraries and physical care of dilapidated old tomes, and skills in research and the execution of laboratory tasks are absolutely indispensable to a wizard character. Similarly, priests should be familiar with the languages in which their holiest scriptures are written, the correct observances and customs demanded by their deity, and the administration of property and lands belonging to their temples.
In this chapter, we’ll take a look at new proficiencies for the spellcasters of the AD&D game. New nonweapon proficiencies describe a number of new skills available to both wizards and priests, ranging from alchemy to zoology. We’ll also introduce the concept of signature spells or spell specialization, which represents unusual skill with a particular spell. Just as fighters can master their weapons with practice and training, wizards can master their spells.
Proficiencies and Character Points Since Player’s Option: Spells & Magic is part of the Player’s Option series, rules and information for proficiencies are described in two formats: the system of slots and check modifiers described in the Player’s Handbook and also in terms of character points for readers who are using the Player’s Option: Skills & Powers rules. Players who wish to create characters using the material in this chapter should first check with their DM to see which system he wants to use in his campaign.
Under either system, characters with high Intelligence scores gain bonus proficiency slots or character points, based on their maximum number of languages. Generally, these slots or points can only be spent on nonweapon proficiencies. If this optional rule is in play, characters must use proficiencies to learn new languages, although all characters can speak (but not necessarily read or write!) their native tongue without spending a proficiency slot.
Proficiency Slots and Check
Modifiers
In the Player’s Handbook proficiency system, a character who selects a proficiency must pay a listed number of proficiency slots in order to acquire that skill. The character’s success chance equals the relevant ability score—Dexterity for the skill of tumbling, for example—modified by the proficiency’s check modifier. If you are playing with this system, use the slots and check modifiers that appear on Table 37: Nonweapon Proficiency Groups in the PHB or the proficiency tables in this chapter.
If a character selects a proficiency that is not within his character group or the general list, he must pay an additional slot to acquire the skill.
In the PHB, the
proficiency spellcraft costs 1 slot for a wizard. The check modifier is Int -
2; for a wizard with an Intelligence of 15, the success number is a 13 or less
on 1d20. If the character was a fighter who wanted to be familiar with spells,
spellcraft would cost 2 slots.
Character Points and Ability
Modifiers
Player’s Option: Skills & Powers revises the proficiency system. Under these rules, the character pays a variable number of character points to acquire a skill. His success chance begins at the proficiency’s initial rating, modified by a standard ability modifier based on the relevant score. If you are playing with these rules, use the CP cost and initial rating listed in Table 45: Nonweapon Proficiency Groups in Skills & Powers, and then modify the character’s rating using Table 44: Ability Modifiers to Proficiency Scores (also in Skills & Powers).
Under the Player’s
Option: Skills & Powers system, spellcraft costs 3 CPs, and has an
initial rating of 7. This is modified by +2 for a wizard with an Intelligence
of 15, for a total rating or success chance of 9. Note that the Skills
& Powers proficiency rules tend to compress character’s success chances
in the 8 to 12 range, but success at completely routine tasks is considered
automatic—proficiency checks are only made for difficult tasks or adverse
conditions.
Wizard Proficiencies Because of the unusually high Intelligence scores of most wizard characters, wizards tend to accumulate a diverse array of nonweapon proficiencies. Many mages begin play knowing three or four proficiencies more than other 1st-level characters, and they also enjoy a favorable nonweapon proficiency progression in addition to their good starting allocation. Player’s Option: Spells & Magic expands the scope of wizard proficiencies by adding a number of new nonweapon proficiencies to those described in the PHB. Refer to Table 8: New Wizard Nonweapon Proficiencies.
Table 8:
New Wizard Nonweapon Proficiencies
Proficiency Base Base CP # of Check
Name Ability Score Cost Slots Modifier
Alchemy Int 6 5 2 –3
Anatomy Int 5 4 2 –2
Arcanology Int 5 4 1 –3
Bookbinding Int 8 3 1 0
Concentration Wis 6 5 2 –2
Dowsing Wis 5 3 1 –3
Glassblowing Dex 7 2 1 0
Hypnotism Cha 6 4 1 –2
Mental Resistance Wis 5 3 1 –1
Omen Reading Wis 5 3 1 –2
Papermaking Int 8 2 1 0
Prestidigitation Dex 7 3 1 –1
Research Int 6 3 1 0
Sage Knowledge Int 5 4 2 –2
Scribe Dex 7 2 1 +1
Tactics of Magic Int 6 3 1 –1
Thaumaturgy Int 5 3 1 –2
Alchemy: A wizard with this skill is not necessarily an alchemist or a specialist in the school of alchemy, but he is well-versed in the physical aspects of magical research and the properties of various chemicals, reagents, and substances. If the character has access to a decent laboratory, he can use his knowledge to identify unknown elements or compounds, create small doses of acids, incendiaries, or pyrotechnical substances, or (if he is 9th level or higher) brew potions.
Refer to Chapter 5 for information on the size, cost, and equipment of an alchemical laboratory. Naturally, a wizard may be able to defray some of the costs by sharing his facilities or striking some kind of deal with a local wizard’s guild; the DM can come up with the details.
Identifying substances or samples of unknown material requires 1 to 4 days and a successful proficiency check. Simple materials, such as powdered metals or ores, provide the alchemist with a +1 to +4 bonus on his check, at the DM’s discretion. Rare, complex, or damaged or incomplete samples might impose a –1 to –4 penalty.
Creating dangerous substances such as acids or burning powders takes 1d3 days and 20–50 gp or (1d4+1) x 10 per vial, or 2–5 days and 50–100 gp or (1d6+4) x 10 per flask. The alchemist must pass a proficiency check in order to successfully manufacture the substance; failing the check with a natural roll of 20 results in an explosion or other mishap that exposes the character to the effects of his work and damages the laboratory for 10%–60% or 1d6 x 10% of its construction value.
Acid inflicts 1d3 points of damage per vial, or 2d4 points of damage per flask, and continues to injure the victim the next round; the vial inflicts 1 point of damage in the second round, and the flask causes 1d3 points of damage. In addition, the flask is large enough to splash creatures near the target; see Grenadelike Missiles in the DMG. Acid can also burn out a lock or clasp, forcing an item saving throw.
Incendiaries ignite when exposed to air. A flask of incendiary liquid inflicts damage as per burning oil (2d6 points in the first round and 1d6 in the second.) Again, refer to the DMG. Incendiary powders or liquids can easily start fires if used on buildings, dry brush, or other such surfaces.
Pyrotechnic materials resemble incendiaries, but create clouds of billowing smoke. A vial creates a cloud of smoke
5 feet high by 5 feet wide by 5 feet deep, obscuring vision.
A flask creates a cloud of smoke 10 feet high by 10 feet wide by 10 feet deep. The clouds persist for 1d3 rounds, depending on the wind and other conditions.
Alchemy is an expensive hobby, to say the least, and it can be a dangerous one as well. If a player character is abusing this proficiency (i.e., walking into a dungeon with 10 flasks of acid in his pack), the DM can require item saving throws for all those beakers anytime the character slips, falls, or is struck by an opponent.
Wizards who specialize in the school of alchemy gain a +2 bonus to their proficiency rating in this skill.
Anatomy: This proficiency reflects a character’s detailed knowledge of the structure and arrangement of the human body, including the location and function of bones, muscles, organs, and other soft tissues. This skill has two distinct uses for a wizard; first of all, knowledge of anatomy provides the character with a +2 bonus on any healing proficiency checks he attempts. Secondly, the wizard can use this skill to repair corpses that have been badly damaged. With a successful proficiency check, the wizard can strengthen and reinforce a body, making it more suitable for animation as a mindless undead. This provides a hit point bonus of +1 per die for skeletal remains, or a bonus of +2 hp per die for a creature to be animated as a zombie.
Arcanology: The study of the history and development of magic is termed arcanology. A wizard with expertise in this field is familiar with the works of past wizards. If there was a source of powerful magic in the campaign’s past—for example, Netheril or Myth Drannor in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting—the arcanologist has a good idea of who the great mages were and what they were able to accomplish. Special magical items, spells, or forms of magic wielded by these ancient sorcerers are familiar to the arcanologist. With a successful proficiency check, the arcanologist can identify the general purpose and function of an ancient magical item; the DM may apply a penalty of –1 to –4 if the item comes from a region outside the arcanologist’s normal studies, or is especially rare or obscure. Note that this ability doesn’t help a wizard to identify items manufactured by the "modern" school or tradition of magic, whatever that may be.
Bookbinding: A wizard with this skill is familiar with the process of assembling a book. Bookbinding is a demanding task; the pages must be glued or sewn to a common backing of some kind, protected by various kinds of varnishes or treatments, and then fastened to a strong and durable cover. Additional chemicals or compounds to ward off mildew and deter moths and bookworms are a necessary precaution.
Bookbinding is especially helpful for a wizard assembling a spell book. Normally, a wizard must pay a bookbinder 50 gp per page for a standard spell book, or 100 gp per page for a traveling spell book—see Chapter 7 of the DMG. A wizard who does this work himself reduces these costs by 50%, although the process takes at least two weeks, plus one day per five pages. If the character passes a proficiency check, his spell book gains a +2 bonus to item saving throws due to the quality and craftsmanship of the work. In addition, the wizard must succeed in a proficiency check if he is dealing with unusual or unsuitable materials, such as metal sheets for pages or dragon scales for a cover.
Concentration: A character with this talent has rigorously trained himself to ignore distractions of all kinds, deadening his mind to pain or sensation. This allows a wizard to ignore annoyances or disturbances that might otherwise interfere with the casting of a spell. In order to use this ability, the player must state that his character is concentrating when he begins to cast a spell. If the character is struck by an attack that causes 2 or less points of damage, he is permitted to attempt a proficiency check to ignore the distraction and continue to cast his spell (unless, of course, the damage is enough to render him unconscious.) The wizard can try to ignore grappling or restraining attacks that cause no damage but suffers a –4 penalty to his check. Spells that incapacitate without damaging, such as hold person or command, still interrupt the caster if he fails his saving throw.
A character using this ability must focus on the casting of his spell to the exclusion of all other activity, even direct attacks. Any Dexterity adjustment to his Armor Class is lost, and in addition flank or side attacks are treated as rear attacks, with a +2 bonus to hit instead of a +1.
Dowsing: This is the skill of finding lost or hidden items by seeking a disturbance in the subtle natural energies that permeate the earth. A dowser is attuned to the invisible, intangible eddies and currents of the world around him; by careful and methodical searching, he can detect particular emanations or anomalies.
Dowsing has two general uses. First, the character can attempt to detect natural deposits or minerals in the ground, such as water, gold, or other ores. Secondly, the character can attempt to find a specific man-made item that has been lost or hidden, such as a friend’s dagger, a buried treasure chest, or the entrance to a barrow mound. The search must be very precise—the dowser will have no luck if he sets out to find ‘the most valuable thing in this field’ or ‘the nearest magical weapon,’ but ‘Aunt Claire’s missing brooch’ or ‘the gold buried by the pirate Raserid’ are suitable searches.
Unlike the spell locate object, the dowser isn’t led or directed to the item he seeks; he has to actually pass within 10 feet of the item, or walk over the place where it is buried, and succeed in a proficiency check to detect the item. (The DM should keep this check hidden from the players so that he doesn’t give away the location with a failed check.) Dowsing can take a long time; quartering the dirt floor of a cellar 20 square feet might take 1d3 turns, while checking a field or courtyard might take 1d3 hours. Searching an area larger than 100 square yards is impractical—the dowser gets tired of concentrating.
A dowser can detect items or substances within 100 feet of the surface, although very strong or powerful sources may be detected slightly deeper. The dowser can guess the approximate depth of what he’s seeking within ±10% when he stumbles across it.
Glassblowing: A character skilled at this trade can manufacture all kinds of glass containers, jars, or bottles. Creating symmetrical or precise pieces requires a proficiency check, but if a character is making items for usefulness instead of decoration, he can produce about 10 small containers, 5 medium containers, or 2 large ones in a day’s work. The character must have access to a specialized glazier’s workshop and furnace in order to make use of this skill.
Hypnotism: With this proficiency, the wizard can hypnotize another character, placing him into a relaxed state in which he is susceptible to suggestions. The subject must be willing and must know he is being hypnotized. Only human, demihuman, and humanoid characters may be hypnotized, and the hypnotist and subject must be able to understand one another’s language.
It takes about five minutes to hypnotize someone in a reasonably calm or peaceful environment. Once hypnotized, the subject is willing to do almost anything that isn’t very dangerous or against his alignment. However, a hypnotized subject can be fooled into thinking he’s doing one thing when he’s actually doing something else. Hypnotism can have the following effects:
A character can be induced to remember things he has forgotten by reliving a frightening or distant event.
A character can be made calm and unafraid in the face of a specific situation that he has been prepared for, gaining a +2 bonus to saving throws versus fear effects or morale checks.
A character can be cured of a bad habit or addiction (but not of curses, physical diseases, or magical afflictions.)
Hypnotism can’t increase a character’s attributes, give him skills he does not normally possess, let him do things that are beyond his capabilities, or give him information he couldn’t possibly know. As a guideline for adjudicating effects, the hypnotism proficiency is substantially weaker than magical commands or directions, such as charm person, command, or hypnotism. Spells magically compel a person to obey the caster’s will; a well-phrased hypnotic command is nothing more than a strong suggestion.
Mental Resistance: Through lengthy training and iron discipline, a character with this proficiency prepares himself to resist magical or psionic assaults on his mind. The character receives a +1 bonus to his saving throws against attacks of this nature, if the attack normally allows a saving throw. Generally, this includes any attack form that a character’s magical attack adjustment bonus for his Wisdom score might affect, including mind-affecting spells, charm or fear powers of monsters, and telepathic sciences or devotions that allow the subject a saving throw.
Omen Reading: There are hundreds of myths and superstitions about the art of divination, or predicting the future through the reading of signs or indications. A character with this proficiency is skilled in a form of divination and knows the proper ceremonies and observances to use in order to obtain a valid reading. He is also familiar with the various messages or indications that characterize a form of divination. Omen readers use dozens of different methods for their auguries, including astrology, numerology, reading palms, examining animal entrails, casting bones, dice, or runes, and burning incense to observe the smoke, just to name a few. The exact nature of the character’s expertise is up to the player.
To use this proficiency, the omen reader phrases a general question about a course of action, such as "Is this a good day to start our journey?," "Should we try to track the orcs to their lair, or wait for their next raid?," or "When will the dragon return?" The DM then makes a proficiency check in secret; if the character fails, the DM can tell him that the signs were inconclusive, or make up a false answer for a spectacular failure (a natural 20 on the check, for instance). If the omen reader succeeds, the DM can give the character a vague answer based on his assessment of the situation. An omen is usually good, bad, or inconclusive, although an answer of "a day or two" or "proceed, but with caution" is acceptable as well. Omens aren’t guaranteed; if a party ignores a bad omen, they might succeed in their task anyway. An omen is nothing more than the DM’s best guess about a course of action.
Performing the ceremony of reading an omen requires an hour or more. Special tools or supplies, such as runesticks, may be necessary depending on the character’s favored form of omen reading. Some superstitious or primitive cultures may place a great deal of weight on omen reading, and a skilled diviner may be held in high regard by these people.
Papermaking: A character with this skill knows how to manufacture paper. This can be an invaluable skill for a wizard, since paper may be fairly rare in many campaign settings. Rag pulp, bark, linen, hemp, and wood were all used to make paper in medieval times. The material is pounded or pressed flat and treated with various chemical compounds to bind and strengthen it. At the DM’s option, the character may also be familiar with the manufacture of parchment and vellum. Parchment is finely-scraped animal skin, treated with lime and other chemicals; vellum is unusually supple and smooth parchment taken from very young animals.
A wizard who makes his own paper can reduce the costs of manufacturing a spell book by 50%, although this requires one to two weeks of time and a suitable work area. Normally, a traveling spell book costs 100 gp per page, and a standard spell book costs 50 gp per page. If the wizard also knows the bookbinding nonweapon proficiency and binds the volume himself, the cost of the spell book is reduced by 75% altogether.
Prestidigitation: This is the art of street magic or sleight of hand, the trade of the magician. The character is skilled at concealing or manipulating small items and familiar with such tricks as pulling a coin from a child’s ear, separating two joined rings, or causing a pigeon or rabbit to vanish. For the most part, nothing more than manual dexterity and showmanship are required, and any kind of character may learn prestidigitation.
While true wizards have little time for these parlor tricks, many apprentices practice with their cantrips by duplicating these feats. A wizard with a cantrip spell handy can really manipulate a small object by briefly levitating it, teleport something small from one hand to the other, or use a tiny dimensional pocket to make an object disappear or seem to contain something it shouldn’t.
There is no particular game effect for prestidigitation, although it is a form of entertainment and can earn a wizard his dinner with a good performance, or possibly distract or fool an NPC under very limited circumstances. For example, a wizard trying to conceal a wand or precious gem from a robber searching him at knifepoint might be able to hide the item with a successful proficiency check.
Research: A wizard with this skill is well-versed in the theory and application of spell research. He is familiar with the use of libraries, laboratories, and other resources, and also has a good grasp of the fundamental processes of experimentation and problem-solving. With a successful proficiency check, the character gains a +5% bonus to his success roll when researching a new spell and only requires one-half the usual amount of time to perform spell research or determine the process necessary to manufacture a particular magical item. However, the amount of money spent on research remains the same because the wizard is still expending the same amount of books and supplies.
Sage Knowledge: This proficiency represents a specialized area of knowledge or learning. A character with this skill is a fully qualified sage in the area of study chosen and is capable of answering questions concerning the topic after some time spent researching. Refer to Table 62: Sage Modifiers and Table 63: Research Times in the DMG. As noted in the DMG, a sage requires an excellent library as a resource—at least 50 to 100 books, costing no less than 10,000 gp altogether. Naturally, a character may be able to strike a deal with a university, monastery, or wizards’ guild hall in order to gain access to their library.
In addition to his ability to perform sage research, the character’s high level of learning allows him to make field observations or attempt to come up with knowledge off the top of his head. For example, a sage who studies botany may attempt a proficiency check in order to identify a particular plant, while one who studies toxicology may be able to identify a poison by its symptoms in a victim. These on-the-spot observations should be limited to information any expert could reasonably come up with in the field— identifying a common gemstone is one thing for a geologist, but making a guess about the electrical conductivity of quartz crystal or the enchantments of a magical gem is a different matter entirely.
Purchasing this proficiency at its base cost (2 slots or 5 character points) gives the sage a broad overview of the area of study in question, allowing him to answer general or specific questions in the field. For an additional proficiency slot (or 2 CPs), the character may become an expert in one particular aspect of the topic. For example, a botanist may spend another slot to specialize in moss and lichens, ferns, or all plants found in a particular climate or ecosystem. This detailed knowledge allows the character to attempt to answer exacting questions in the field. The fields of study available to a sage include:
Alchemy: This is the study of magical chemistry, especially as it applies to elemental transmutations and potions, oils, and magical compounds or solvents. Unlike the proficiency of alchemy, the sage knowledge of alchemy concentrates on theories and principals, not on the practical day-to-day manufacture of specific compounds and substances. An alchemist specialist wizard or a character with the alchemy proficiency gains a +2 bonus to his proficiency rating in this area of sage knowledge.
Architecture: This is the study of the development, theories and styles of architecture. (The architecture proficiency, on the other hand, represents the practical execution of workable building plans.) A sage with this field of study can attempt to identify the age, origins, and general purpose of ruined buildings or structures.
Art: The sage is familiar with the great works of the past as well as the works of the best contemporary artists. If he specializes in one particular art form (sculpture, paintings, ornamental pottery, etc.) he is able to identify works of the masters, spot fakes, and appraise pieces for sale value.
Astrology: This is the history and theoretical background of astrology, not the actual art of prediction. Someone with the astrology proficiency knows that Planet X passing in front of Constellation Y means trouble, but a sage knows why that’s a sign of ill fortune. In addition, the sage has the ability to perform historical astrology by working backwards to determine the stars’ and planet’s alignments for thousands of years in the past. An expert in this field may be familiar with the constellations and beliefs of vanished or dead cultures.
Astronomy: For the astrologer, planets and constellations are representations of greater powers. The astronomer, on the other hand, assigns no characteristics or indications to these heavenly bodies, and instead concentrates on studying their movements in the skies. He can predict eclipses, anticipate the return of comets or meteor showers, and answer questions about the locations or predicted locations of various planets or other bodies in the skies.
Botany: This is the study of plants, ranging from simple cataloguing and observation to detailed studies of life-cycles and ecologies. Areas of specialization include simple plants, water plants, grasses and brush, flowering plants, domesticated plants, plant diseases, and ecological systems such as rain forest, tundra, prairie, etc.
Cartography: Cartography is the art of map-making. A sage who specializes in this field knows where to find maps for any given region or area, knows how to interpret maps using various forms of notation, and can attempt to solve or complete encrypted or partial maps.
Chemistry: While alchemy focuses on the study of magical substances, chemistry concentrates on the study of the properties of mundane substances. Note that a character with the alchemy proficiency is assumed to use a fair amount of mundane chemistry to produce acids, solvents, and pyrotechnic substances.
Cryptography: This is the study of codes, ciphers, and puzzles. A sage with skill in cryptography can attempt to break codes or solve written puzzles with time and study.
Engineering: The character is familiar with the science of building devices, engines, and structures. Sage knowledge of engineering provides a +2 bonus to the character’s nonweapon proficiency score in engineering, if he has both proficiencies. The character can specialize in small machines, large machines (water wheels, etc.), siege engineering, fortifications, bridges and roads, or buildings.
Folklore: The sage studies legends and folk tales. By spending another proficiency slot, he can specialize in the folklore of a particular culture or region.
Genealogy: This is the study of lines of descent. A sage with this skill knows research techniques and sources for tracing family trees and is also familiar with the histories of the important royal and noble families.
Geography: A sage with this knowledge has learned about the lands and cultures of his world. He knows general principles of cartography, topography, climatology, and sociology, and can identify individuals or artifacts from other lands.
Geology: Geology is the study of landforms, rock, and the physical makeup of the earth. A sage with knowledge in this area can add a +2 bonus to his rating in the mining nonweapon proficiency and can attempt a proficiency check to identify various sorts of gemstones or precious minerals.
Heraldry: Coats of arms, banners, flags, and standards are all emblazoned with heraldic designs. A sage with this skill is familiar with the evolution of heraldry and the significance of various symbols and colors. He can identify common coats of arms on sight and knows where to research obscure or unknown devices. This area of knowledge adds a +2 bonus to a character’s heraldry nonweapon proficiency score.
History: A sage with this skill has an excellent grasp of history and the historical methods. Unlike a character with the ancient or local history proficiencies, a sage with this skill is a generalist, but he can be considered an expert on a particular era or culture by spending an additional slot to specialize. Whether or not the historian knows something off the top of his head doesn’t matter—he knows exactly where to look when he needs to find out the details of a person’s life or an important event. Skill in this field of knowledge provides a +2 bonus to the character’s proficiency score in ancient history or local history.
Languages: A character with a modern language proficiency knows how to speak a second language, and a character with an ancient languages proficiency knows how to read a second language, but a sage who specializes in languages is concerned with the study of the language itself—grammar, syntax and constructs, and vocabulary and word origin. His expertise is limited to one particular tongue, but for each additional slot the linguist may add another language to his field of expertise. This knowledge adds a +2 bonus to the linguist’s rating in any modern or ancient language proficiencies he possesses.
Law: A sage with this field of study is an expert on matters of law. He is familiar with any national constitutions or charters, the origin and history of the law, and important matters of precedent. He can examine contracts, warrants, orders, or decrees and determine if there is a way to enforce or avoid them.
Mathematics: The study of abstract or theoretical mathematics may seem unusual in a fantasy setting, but it dates back thousands of years in our own world; the ancient Greeks laid the groundwork for geometry, while algebra was a pastime of Islamic scholars and nobles before the European Renaissance. A dimensionalist gains a +2 bonus on his proficiency rating in this area of study.
Medicine: A sage with this skill studies both the history and development of medicine, as well as current methods and treatments. This provides the character with a +2 bonus to his healing nonweapon proficiency score. In addition, the character may be able to come up with treatments for nonmagical diseases or injuries.
Meteorology: This is the study of weather and weather patterns. A sage with this skill knows historical records and prediction methods. In the field, his knowledge of weather provides a +2 bonus to any weather sense proficiency checks he makes.
Music: The sage knows the theory and notation systems of music and has studied the works of the great masters. He can attempt to identify unknown pieces or decipher musical puzzles.
Myconology: Myconology is the study of fungi. A myconologist can identify samples of fungus, mold, or spores. He is familiar with dangerous or monstrous varieties as well and may be able to spot these in the wild before he or his companions come to harm. His knowledge of mushrooms and molds gives him a +2 bonus to herbalism nonweapon proficiency checks.
Oceanography: A sage with this skill studies the ocean, including weather, marine biology, navigation and charting, and undersea topography. An oceanographer may be able to explain unusual phenomena at sea or discover the location of wrecks or other sites of interest.
Philosophy: The study of philosophy is the study of logic, ethics, aesthetics, and metaphysics (for game purposes, anyway), and a sage with expertise in this field is conversant with the great thinkers and arguments of his race or culture.
Physics: In most AD&D campaigns, the study of physics centers around mechanics and thermodynamics; some of the more advanced fields of study simply haven’t been invented yet.
Planes, Inner: Most individuals in a campaign have little to no knowledge of worlds beyond the one in which they live, but a sage with expertise in this field is familiar with the characteristics and properties of the Ethereal Plane and the various Elemental Planes beyond that. He understands how the Inner Planes are aligned and how the multiverse is put together. If he spends an additional slot to specialize, he can be an expert on a particular plane, capable of answering exacting questions on the topic.
Planes, Outer: The great religions of a campaign tend to disseminate a very limited view of the multiverse, centering on the home of their deity and that of their deity’s principal foes. A sage who studies this field has a general understanding with the general arrangement of all the Outer Planes and the characteristics of the Astral Plane. For an additional slot, he can specialize in a particular plane, learning the general properties of its layers, its chief inhabitants and domains, and other important details.
School of Magic: A sage with expertise in a school of magic is familiar with the important theories, works, and great mages of that field. By engaging in research and passing a proficiency check, the sage could identify spells or magical items belonging to the school by the item’s general effects or appearance. For example, if he was a student of the school of force, he could identify a wand of force or beads of force as if he were trying to answer a specific question. If the sage is also a wizard, he gains a +5% bonus to his chance to learn spells from the school in question. A specialist wizard gains a +2 to his score in this proficiency if the school of magic is his own specialty.
Sociology: This is the study of social structures, customs, mores, and ways of life. The sage is also acquainted with past societies and their customs.
Theology: A sage with expertise in this area is conversant with the tenets and beliefs of most major religions, gaining a +2 bonus to his religion nonweapon proficiency check. In addition, he studies the theories and lore surrounding the powers and boundaries of the gods themselves. With research, a theologist can determine what a particular god might or might not be capable of doing.
Toxicology: This is the study of poisons, both natural and artificial. A sage with expertise in toxicology can identify poisons both from samples and from examining the symptoms of a poisoned victim. By using toxicology, a sage can also gain a +1 to any healing proficiency check dealing with poisons.
Zoology: Zoology is the study of animals. A sage who acquires knowledge in this area has a good overall grasp of the science of zoology, and in addition, he is considered a specialist in one general class of animals or monsters. Each additional slot he spends on this proficiency adds one more type or class to his expertise. Classes of animals available include birds, reptiles, mammals, fish, amphibians, insects, amorphous monsters (slimes, jellies, and molds), aquatic monsters, insectile monsters, reptilian monsters, mammalian monsters, hybrid monsters (griffins, perytons, etc.), and any other reasonable
class or grouping the DM allows.
A zoologist can identify common species in the field with a successful proficiency check and may be able to predict behavior or capabilities based on his knowledge of the creature in question.
Scribe: Before printing came into common use, professional scribes created books by copying manuscripts. Even after printing presses were in widespread use, scribes were in demand for their calligraphy and the quality of their illuminated (or illustrated) pages. A character with this proficiency is familiar with a scribe’s techniques for preparing pages and working both swiftly and accurately. This is an invaluable skill for a wizard; with a successful proficiency check, the character gains a +5% bonus to any rolls he must make in order to copy or transcribe a spell into his spell book or onto a scroll.
Tactics of Magic: For many wizards, the principal use of their art is on the battlefield. Knowing which spell to employ at any given time and creating the greatest effect for one’s effort is a skill that can be learned with practice and experience. A wizard with the tactics of magic proficiency can attempt a proficiency check to gauge the range to a target, estimate how many enemies will be caught in a given area of effect, or determine whether or not he may be in danger of a rebounding lightning bolt or a fireball cast in too small a space.
In addition, a character with this skill may recall subtle effects or interactions that are not immediately apparent. For example, if the wizard is about to cast magic missile at an enemy wizard protected by a shield spell, the DM may allow the player a proficiency check to see if he suddenly recalls that the magic missile will fail—especially if the wizard also knows shield, but the player has just forgotten about the special effects of the spell. However, if there’s no way the character could know of a special immunity or property of a monster, spell, or magical item, this proficiency will not be of any help.
Thaumaturgy: This is the art of the casting of magic, the study of the interaction of verbal, somatic, and material components in order to produce a desired effect. While all wizards have some degree of familiarity with this field of knowledge, a character who becomes proficient in thaumaturgy has spent time studying the forms and practices of magic. This depth of knowledge gives the wizard a +5% bonus on his learn spell rolls after a successful nonweapon proficiency check has been made.
Signature Spells
Just as fighters can reach unusual levels of skill by specializing in a particular weapon, a wizard can spend extra proficiency slots (weapon or nonweapon) or character points in order to specialize in a particular spell. This spell is known as a signature spell. Unlike fighters, who may only specialize in a single weapon, wizards may have one signature spell per spell level, as long as they have the proficiency slots or character points available.
A wizard with a signature spell may still make use of the rest of his spell repertoire normally; he is not limited to just that one spell.
Choosing a Signature Spell: The signature spell must be a spell that the character already knows and is able to cast; a 1st-level wizard couldn’t select fireball as a signature spell, although he could choose an appropriate 1st-level spell from his spell book. If the character is a specialist wizard, he may only select signature spells from the school of his specialty. Mages, however, may select signature spells from any school. The actual cost in slots or CPs varies with the level of the spell selected.
Since specialist wizards must select their signature spells from their own field of study, they find it easier to narrow their specialization down to a single spell.
Learning a Signature Spell: In order for a wizard to gain the skill and practice necessary for a signature spell, he must spend a great deal of time and money, studying every aspect of the enchantment. For all intents and purposes, this is the equivalent of spell research; the character must spend a minimum of two weeks and 1d10 x 100 gp per spell level to master the signature spell and must succeed in a learn spells check to succeed in his studies. If the wizard fails, he still knows how to cast the spell normally, but he can never use it as a signature spell. The character’s proficiency slots or character points are not expended if he fails in his attempt to learn the signature spell.
Specialist wizards may apply their spell research bonus to their learn spells roll to develop a signature spell.
Signature Spells in Play: Through hard work and extensive practice, the wizard becomes quite skilled at casting his signature spell. First of all, the wizard casts his signature spell as if he were 2 levels higher for purposes of damage, duration, area of effect, range, and all other level-based characteristics. If the spell has no level-based characteristics (charm person, for instance), the wizard can choose to inflict a saving throw penalty of –2 on the subject’s saving throw when he casts the spell, or he can choose to reduce his casting time by 3.
Table 9:
Signature Spell Costs
Spell Specialist Cost Mage Cost
Level Slots CPs Slots CPs
1st–3rd 1 4 2 7
4th–6th 2 7 3 10
7th–9th 3 10 4 13
Secondly, the wizard may memorize one casting of his signature spell at no cost in spells available at that level. In other words, the character gains the specialist wizard benefit of memorizing additional spells. For example, a 1st-level mage may normally memorize one 1st-level spell. If the mage has magic missile as a signature spell, he may memorize one 1st-level spell, plus an additional magic missile, for a total of two 1st-level spells. If the character is a specialist invoker, he can memorize three 1st-level spells: magic missile, a second invocation spell, and the 1st-level spell he normally receives as a 1st-level wizard. Note that the character in this example could choose to spend his discretionary spells to memorize a total of three magic missiles, which wouldn’t be a bad move considering that he’s so good at casting it!
Role-Playing Signature Spells: A wizard with a signature spell often becomes notorious for his use of the spell. Everyone recalls stories of the transmuter who polymorphed folks into frogs, or the fire mage who threw fireballs left and right. The DM should encourage the player to develop his character’s motivations for becoming so skilled with one particular enchantment.
Priest Proficiencies Like wizards, priests acquire a variety of nonweapon proficiencies over the course of their careers. More than any other character, a priest is likely to find a use for common or everyday skills. In fact, in many cultures, priests are the principal teachers, scholars, or craftsmen of their societies. Priests have a nonweapon proficiency progression that equals that of a wizard, but gain weapon skills much faster.
In this section, we’ll take a look at some new priest proficiencies. These should be considered addenda to the Table 37: Nonweapon Proficiency Groups in the Player’s Handbook. Refer to Table 10: New Priest Nonweapon Proficiencies.
Table 10:
New Priest Nonweapon Proficiencies
Proficiency Base Base CP # of Check
Name Ability Score Cost Slots Modifier
Administration Int 9 3 1 +1
Alms Cha 8 3 1 0
Bookbinding Int 8 3 1 0
Bureaucracy Int 8 5 2 0
Ceremony Wis 7 2 1 0
Diplomacy Cha 6 3 1 –1
Investigation Int 6 4 1 –2
Law Int 7 3 1 0
Observation Int 7 3 1 0
Omen Reading Wis 5 3 1 –2
Oratory Cha 7 3 1 –1
Papermaking Int 8 2 1 0
Persuasion Cha 5 3 1 –2
Sage Knowledge Int 5 4 2 –2
Scribe Dex 7 2 1 +1
Undead Lore Int 6 3 1 –1
Administration: Many temples own substantial amounts of land and property, wielding power over vast areas. Priests who can manage these lands and turn a tidy profit in the name of the church are always in demand. A character with this proficiency is skilled in the management and accounting of enterprises ranging from the agriculture of an entire province to the vineyards of a single small monastery. He knows how to account for money, plan work, and supervise the collection of taxes or the sale of goods.
Alms: Some orders of priests rely on the charity of others for their support and livelihood. A character with this proficiency is able to find food, shelter, and clothing in return for the benefit of his wisdom and a blessing or two for his hosts. The quality of the charity the priest finds may vary widely, depending on the wealth of his prospective hosts, their piety and their recognition of his deity, and the way the priest presents himself. Generally, if there’s shelter to be had, the priest can make use of it, but obtaining food or clothing for his companions may require a nonweapon proficiency check at the DM’s discretion.
Bookbinding: See the description under Wizard Proficiencies.
Bureaucracy: This proficiency encompasses a working knowledge of temple or government organization and protocol, and the skills necessary to navigate through bureaucracies. The character knows which officials to approach and when to approach them, where records are kept and how to gain access to them, and how to circumvent unfriendly or sluggish bureaucrats. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, the character can get permits or documents completed in half the normal time.
In addition to these skills, the character can attempt to turn the system against someone else. With a successful proficiency check, the amount of time required to make a decision doubles—permits are misplaced or filled out incorrectly, or important documents are held up on the wrong desk. For example, a character could keep a shady wizard from gaining permission to build a tower in the town, or he might obstruct a thief’s request for bond or parole.
Ceremony: A priest with this proficiency is well-versed in the various rites, observances, and ceremonies of his temple. He is qualified to oversee normal worship or devotions, but conducting the rites in difficult or unusual situations may require a proficiency check. This proficiency also includes familiarity with ceremonies such as weddings, namings, and funerals, and the priest can perform these services appropriately.
Diplomacy: This is the grand art of high diplomacy between states or organizations. A character skilled in diplomacy knows the correct procedures and unwritten rules of negotiations between states or large organizations. He is capable of discerning the true intent of the various declarations, statements, and gifts or exchanges that make up a diplomatic encounter, and he is able to take his own wishes and couch them in proper diplomatic terms.
Normally, the character need only make proficiency checks if the negotiations are particularly delicate or difficult. However, if there is a specific goal or compromise the character is working towards, he may attempt a check to see if he can win the other side over to his point. Naturally, the DM can apply a modifier of –8 to +8 depending on what the diplomat’s offer means for the parties involved. Requesting the surrender of a vastly superior enemy is next to impossible, unless the character can convince them that they stand to gain something of great value by giving up. In any event, the DM shouldn’t use this ability as a substitute for good role-playing by the players.
Investigation: This is the art of discovering the truth through careful examination of a problem or situation. A character with this skill is familiar with the process of interviewing or interrogating witnesses, searching scenes for clues or information, and the general execution of a logical and thorough investigation. Priests who are associated with the local government may be called upon to solve common crimes against the state, while other priests may be inquisitors or theological investigators.
The DM may allow the PC to attempt a proficiency check when the player is missing an obvious line of inquiry or step of deductive reasoning, although this should be a rare use of this ability. An investigation proficiency check can also be used to discover clues at the scene of a crime or to extract information from a witness or suspect.
Law: A character with this proficiency is thoroughly familiar with the legal system of his homeland and is skilled in representing cases before judges, officers, nobles, and magistrates. This is a working knowledge of the law, as opposed to the theoretical knowledge of the sage area of study. With a successful proficiency check, the character can build a strong defense for a person accused of a crime; if the judge or jury are fair-minded and honest, he stands an excellent chance of winning his client’s case. Of course, corrupt or intimidated officials can still deliver unjust verdicts despite the character’s best efforts.
Observation: Characters with this proficiency have cultivated exceptional powers of observation. The DM may ask for a proficiency check anytime there is something subtly wrong or unusual in the character’s environment. For example, the character may note the fact that the tools of a potter’s shop are caked with a different kind of clay than that present in the workshop, or he might notice telltale marks of traffic that indicate the presence of a secret door. The DM shouldn’t let this become a substitute for alertness and good thinking on the part of the player; if he’s picking up more than one or two clues a game session with this proficiency, it’s probably too many.
Omen Reading: See the description under Wizard Proficiencies.
Oratory: This is the power to move other people with words and emotion. By captivating an audience, the priest can convince them of the rightness of his words through force of will and dramatic speaking. Priests with this skill can attempt to proselytize (seek converts) among small audiences by proclaiming the glories of their faith and the dangers of nonbelief, but the character must pass his check by a margin of four or more to win any long-lasting converts to the faith. A convert will listen to the priest’s suggestions or ideas, but won’t necessarily become a follower or hireling of the character.
The DM can decide how any group of listeners is likely to be affected by the priest’s exhortations. If they’re inclined to be hostile or are preparing to attack the priest, there’s very little he can say to change their minds. However, if the priest passes a proficiency check, he may be able to modify an encounter reaction check by one category—hostile to indifferent, or indifferent to friendly, for example. Optionally, he may be able to encourage the crowd to take a specific action that they’re inclined to perform anyway. If an angry crowd wants to see an important prisoner freed because it’s rumored he was convicted wrongly, a priest with oratory may be able to push them into storming the jail or convince them to give up and go home. If the player presents an especially moving argument or speech, the proficiency check is made with a +1 to +4 bonus.
Papermaking: See the description under Wizard Proficiencies.
Persuasion: Unlike oratory, which relies on emotion and rhetoric, the art of persuasion is built around intelligent arguments and personal charm. A character with this proficiency is able to present especially cogent arguments and explanations in conversation with an individual or small group. With a successful proficiency check, he can convince them to take moderate actions they may be considering already; for example, he may convince city guards to leave without making arrests if a brawl’s already finished by the time they get there, or he may convince a court official that he needs an audience with the king. If the player’s thoughts and arguments are particularly eloquent and acute, the proficiency check is made with a +1 to +4 bonus.
Sage Knowledge: See the description under Wizard Proficiencies.
Scribe: See the description under Wizard Proficiencies.
Undead Lore: A priest with this proficiency is trained in the identification, powers, and vulnerabilities of common undead monsters. With a proficiency check, the character can recall specific tactics or weaknesses of a monster; for example, if confronted by a vampire, he may recall that a mirror, garlic, or holy symbol strongly presented can drive the monster away for a short time. How the character uses this information is up to the player.
Chapter 5:
Equipment
Traditionally, the wizard’s laboratory is a wonderland of mysterious devices, bubbling retorts, and strange powders, solvents, and reagents. Shelves crammed full of arcane tomes, yellow scrolls encased in bone tubes, sheets of parchment covered with cryptic notes and designs, candles made from suspicious substances . . . all these things and more can be found in the wizard’s workshop. In this chapter, we’ll take a look at some of the equipment and supplies required by a working wizard.
In addition to the supplies and devices required for a laboratory and a library, we’ll also examine various material spell components. Many powerful spells may require unusual or hard to find items, and the DM can create obstacles and restrictions—or more importantly, adventure opportunities— by requiring players to keep track of spell materials. Lastly, this chapter discusses methods for finding or buying spell components, reagents, and magical items.
Table 11:
Building Construction Time and Cost
Building Stone Wood
Size Time Cost Area Time Cost Area
Small 6 2,000 400 1 200 400
Medium 10 3,000 800 3 400 800
Large 16 4,500 1,800 6 900 1,800
Great 32 10,000 3,600 12 2,000 3,600
Laboratories At some point in his or her career, just about every wizard is going to need a well-equipped laboratory. Without a laboratory, a wizard can’t perform spell research or create any kind of magical item except a scroll. A laboratory consists of several different components, including a physical site or facility; a personal library; nonexpendable equipment and furniture; and expendable supplies, chemicals, and reagents.
The Location
When a wizard is contemplating the construction of a laboratory, the first thing he will want to consider is the location of the lab. If the wizard travels extensively, like many adventurers do, the choice of his laboratory’s location may prove to be a difficult decision. Since the character will be investing a vast amount of money in the construction and outfitting of his laboratory, he will want to make certain that the facility is located in a secure and reasonably accessible location. There’s a lot of valuable and irreplaceable material in a laboratory, and most wizards dread the thought of some hooligan sacking their workshops.
Many wizards locate their laboratories in or near major cities. There are several advantages to this strategy: first of all, the wizard has easy access to skilled craftsmen for unusual pieces of equipment; second, the large cities attract traders dealing in the rare or unusual, making it easier for the wizard to locate some material components; third, resources such as libraries and fellow wizards or alchemists may be close at hand; and last, cities are relatively secure from monstrous incursions. On the down side, cities also host large and well-organized thieves’ guilds, and many wizards find themselves forced to pay protection money to keep their labs intact. Also, a wizard who lives near a large population center is generally easy to find, and the character’s enemies won’t have any problem in tracking him to his base of operations.
Because of these risks, some wizards prefer to conceal their laboratories in unpopulated or inaccessible regions. The wizard loses the benefits of close contact with civilization, but gains a degree of privacy that an urban wizard finds impossible. This can be costly, especially when the wizard needs some smithing or glassblowing work done, and there’s no one nearby who can do it. A wilderness base generally costs 20%–50% or (1d4+1) x 10% more to equip and maintain than a comparable lab in the city. Note that remoteness doesn’t guarantee safety; instead of thieves, a wizard in the wilderness has to worry about monsters of all sizes and inclinations nosing around the premises!
Physical Requirements
Once the wizard has decided where he wants to locate his laboratory, he must buy, build, or rent an appropriate building or room. The space should be well-ventilated and well-lit, although the wizard can do without these comforts if he wishes. The room must be dry and sound; dampness can destroy libraries or cause important reagents to lose their potency. In addition, the laboratory requires at least 400 square feet (a 20-foot by 20-foot room or equivalent floor space) for the furnishings and work spaces.
In urban or civilized regions, the wizard may be able to set up his laboratory inside another building—for example, the castle of his patron noble, a university or library, the local wizards’ guildhall, or an inn operated by a fellow adventurer. Generally, the rent on the room should be 30 to 100 gp or (1d8+2) x 10 per month, depending on the exact circumstances of the arrangement. Renting a shabby room in the thieves’ quarter is far less expensive than paying the dues of a guildhall or university membership. A player character may be able to avoid paying rent altogether if a friend or patron puts him up.
If the wizard doesn’t want to borrow or lease a room from a landlord, he can buy a suitable building. Again, the place should have at least 400 square feet of floor space, or somewhat more than that if the wizard intends to live there as well as maintain a laboratory. (A two-story building of about 20 feet x 20 feet would do nicely.) Or, he can choose to build a new building instead of buying an old one. The table below lists construction times and costs for new buildings; buying an existing structure costs anywhere from 50% to 100% or (1d6+4) x 10% of the listed figure.
Stone buildings are sturdier and more durable than wooden buildings, but still feature wooden supports, flooring, and other features. Some interior partitions or walls may be made of wood instead of stone.
Wooden buildings are much easier to build than stone buildings. The disadvantage lies in resistance to siege attacks or other forms of damage; wooden buildings can be destroyed easily by many spells or heavy weapons.
Building size is a rough description of the building’s dimensions. This fits the building types described in DMGR 2, The Castle Guide.
Time is the number of weeks required for construction, assuming a working crew of 10 laborers with good supervision. Obviously, this only applies in the event the wizard wants to have someone build him a new laboratory. If the wizard wants to save money, he can hire fewer workers, doubling the construction time for a savings of 25% off the basic cost. On the other hand, if he’s in a hurry he can raise the building in 75% the usual time by hiring more workers, doubling the cost.
Cost is the amount of gold pieces required to have the building raised. This includes permits, bribes, pay for workers, expendable supplies, and all other expenses incurred. If the wizard is buying an existing structure, he need only pay (1d6+4) x 10% or 50%–100% of this price, depending on the building’s condition, the circumstances of the sale, and other factors.
Area is the square footage of the completed structure. A small building suffices for the wizard’s laboratory, but if the character wants to live in the same building, it must be at least medium-sized.
Equipment
Now that the wizard has secured a suitable workroom, it’s time to get to the real business of setting up a laboratory. The equipment contained in a lab includes alembics, armillary spheres, beakers, bottles, copper kettles, crucibles, distilling coils, ladles, mortars, retorts, scales, specimens, tongs, vials, and weights of all description. In addition, specialized furniture such as workbenches, stands, braziers, cabinets, and tables with special surfaces must be purchased for the laboratory. Obviously, all these things can be quite expensive; equipping a laboratory is often the single greatest expense a wizard incurs in his career.
A wizard’s laboratory is customized to the character’s individual tastes and research goals, and is not particularly useful to another character. However, if a wizard inherits a lab from another character or is allowed to borrow one for a time, he can refit the lab for his own purposes for a cost of 1,000 gp.
Wizards’ laboratories vary wildly in scope, contents, and completeness. There are three varieties of laboratory, each with its own special purpose: alchemical laboratories, forges, and research laboratories.
Alchemical laboratories are intended for the creation of potions and nonmagical acids, solvents, glues, or pyrotechnical substances. As a result, the lab is equipped with glassware, burners, retorts, kettles, and all manner of devices designed for heating, agitating, or otherwise manipulating liquids and powders. An alchemical laboratory costs 2,000 gp; wizards who specialize in the school of alchemy, characters with the alchemy nonweapon proficiency, or mages who want to create potions at 9th level can make use of these facilities.
Specialist alchemists are assumed to begin play with an alchemical laboratory valued at 1,000 gp. Because of their special training and skills, this is sufficient for a 1st-level alchemist. However, the character’s requirements for rare and exotic materials increase as he rises in level; keeping the lab outfitted requires an expenditure of an additional 1,000 gp each time he rises in level. If the alchemist’s laboratory is up-to-date, he can use his special ability to create potions; if the lab is not up-to-date but still worth at least 2,000 gp, he may use it as if he were a normal wizard using a standard alchemical laboratory.
Forges are larger and more complex laboratories that include all the materials and equipment required for the production of magical items of all types, not just potions or scrolls. A forge includes all the materials found in an alchemical laboratory, as well as furnaces, anvils, and woodworking, leatherworking, or metalworking tools. A forge costs 5,000 gp and requires at least 600 square feet of space; in other words, a "small" building is not big enough to house a magician’s forge.
The specialist artificer is assumed to begin play with a forge worth 1,000 gp. In order to keep his specialist wizard benefits, he must invest an additional 1,000 gp in the forge each time he rises in level. If the forge is not maintained properly but is worth at least 5,000 gp, the artificer can still use it for brewing potions or creating magical items using the normal procedures.
Research laboratories allow a character to conduct spell research. The research laboratory adds hundreds of rare and unusual specimens, samples, and texts to the wizard’s laboratory. Depending on the campaign circumstances, a laboratory suited for spell research can cost anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 gp, but if a wizard already has an alchemical laboratory or a forge, he can purchase the research laboratory for 50% of its normal cost. Similarly, building an alchemical laboratory or a forge after first building a research laboratory gives the character a 50% break on the costs of the second laboratory.
A research laboratory requires at least 400 square feet, above and beyond any existing facilities. A character with a forge and a research laboratory must have 1,000 square feet of room available to house his equipment, furnishings, work areas, and supplies.
Table 12:
Laboratory Cost and Size
Requirements
Laboratory Cost Size
Alchemical1 2,000 gp 400 sq. ft.
Forge2 5,000 gp 600 sq. ft.
Research3 1,000 gp+ 400 sq. ft.
1 Alchemist specialist wizards must maintain an alchemical laboratory worth at least 1,000 gp per character level.
2 Includes an alchemical laboratory. Artificer specialists must maintain a forge worth at least 1,000 gp per character level.
3 Cost set by DM at 1,000 to 10,000 gp.
Table 13:
Libraries
Library # Potion # Item Max.
Spell
Expense Formulae1 Formulae2 Research Lvl.3
Initial 2 1 1st-level
2,000 gp 3 2 2nd-level
4,000 gp 4 3 3rd-level
6,000 gp 5 4 4th-level
10,000 gp 6 5 5th-level
15,000 gp 8 7 6th-level
20,000 gp 10 9 7th-level
30,000 gp 12 11 8th-level
50,000 gp any any 9th-level
1 Libraries for alchemical laboratories and forges
2 Libraries for forges
3 Libraries for research laboratories
The Library
The single most important tool in the wizard’s laboratory is his library. Every wizard has a library, even if it consists of nothing more than his spell books and a handful of old texts and journals. Depending on the campaign flavor and the prevalence of magic, wizards may find that ancient grimoires and codices are the only source of new spells, potion formulae, or procedures for creating magical items. Unless they go to extraordinary lengths to unearth, purchase, copy, or steal these books, their advancement in the arcane arts can come to a dead halt.
When a character builds and outfits a laboratory of any type, a basic library is assumed to be included in the overall price. This collection allows the wizard to conduct the basic functions of the laboratory—brewing potions and manufacturing special inks for scroll creation, making magical items, or conducting spell research. However, the materials in a lab’s initial collection only allow the character to research the formula for one potion or scroll, one magical item, and one 1st-level spell. In effect, the library that the wizard acquires to outfit his laboratory is only sufficient for the first two or three research efforts he undertakes. After these initial studies, the wizard must expand his library in order to undertake new research efforts.
Alchemists and Artificers: These two specialist wizards do not need to increase the size of their library in order to discover new formulae or procedures. Their specialist abilities bypass this requirement; the character’s expertise allows him to do without many of the texts and canons other wizards find necessary.
Library Requirements: Expanding a library and collecting volumes suitable for advanced research takes time and money. The total value of the wizard’s library governs the research he can undertake there, as shown in Table 13: Libraries.
Library Expense is the total investment the character makes in acquiring books, references, and other research materials. The initial library expense is simply the cost of the character’s laboratory, so if a wizard builds a research laboratory and then spends 2,000 gp on expanding his initial library, he can research 2nd-level spells.
Number of Potion Formulae represents the maximum number of potions the wizard can research given a library of the listed size. Using the correct enchantments and materials is a critical part of potion-brewing, and wizards must invest some time in researching the correct formula and procedure for any particular potion. (See Chapter 7.) For example, a wizard who purchases an alchemical laboratory can determine the formula for two types of potion (flying, for instance) with the materials at hand, but in order to learn the formulae for additional potions, he must spend money to expand his reference library.
Number of Item Formulae represents the maximum number of magical item creation processes the wizard can discover using a library of the listed size. Each magical item has its own unique "formula"—materials and procedures required to successfully produce one item. The initial laboratory included in a forge allows the wizard to research the creation of one type of magical item, such as a rope of climbing or boots of the north. Discovering the requirements for additional types of magical items requires a larger and more complete library.
Maximum Spell Research Level is the highest-level spell the wizard can research, given the library at hand. The basic research laboratory allows the wizard to research 1st-level spells, but if he wants to indulge himself in more advanced studies, he’ll have to obtain additional texts, references, and materials.
Finding Books: Naturally, a library worth 10,000 gp is not a heap of treasure waiting to be carted off by the nearest adventurer. It is a labor of love and care, created over years by the dedicated efforts of an intelligent and well-organized character. And, unfortunately, building a library can be a tedious and exhausting task. Important volumes may take years to find.
Generally, a library is composed of books ranging in value from 50 to 500 gold pieces, although unusual works may cost much more. Thus, a library valued at 2,000 gp might include 15 to 20 books in the 50–100 gp range, three or four valued at 100–200 gp, and maybe one or two in the 300–500 gp range. While it’s not necessary to catalog every single book that is contained in the collection, it’s a good idea for the DM to identify a handful of critical works, or references that are so central to the wizard’s studies that the library just isn’t complete without them. Finding or tracking down these rare volumes can be quite a challenge, creating many adventure hooks for a PC wizard!
If the DM is generous, he can assume that the wizard can find everything he needs, given time, and assume that one week of library-building allows the character to spend up to 500 gp on books he needs. In other words, increasing a library’s size and value by 2,000 gp would require four weeks of dedicated effort on the wizard’s part. Finding a rare or unusual text (or, treasure of treasures, an intact collection!) in an adventure could save a wizard a great amount of time and money.
However, building a library can be far more difficult than just spending money. In medieval societies, books were hand-written, and there might be only six or seven copies of a book the wizard needs to be found anywhere, let alone in the local bookseller’s shop. Particularly rare or valuable tomes may change hands through sale, deceit, or thievery dozens of times, disappearing from common knowledge.
In addition to the problem of scarcity, it’s possible that some significant works required by a wizard might not be written in his native language but instead in the language of a far-off kingdom. An ambitious character might be forced to learn his campaign’s equivalent of Latin, Sanskrit, or Mandarin Chinese for no other purpose than to read a single book. Another problem might be suppressed or forbidden books; trading in banned works could get a character into a lot of trouble.
Last but not least, the current owner of the book the character seeks may have no wish to part with it, especially if it’s considered dangerous or unique. The wizard may be able to persuade the book’s owner to allow him to make a copy of the text, or he may have to consider more direct action to acquire the necessary materials.
Library Size: Large collections of books require space, just like laboratories. The basic references included in the cost of a laboratory don’t take up any additional space above and beyond the laboratory’s requirements, but expanded libraries require at least 25 square feet for each 2,000 gp value. For example, a library valued at 10,000 gp would require 125 square feet (a 10-foot by 121/2-foot room). This may sound like a generous amount of space, but keep in mind that many of these tomes are extremely large and bulky, and require special shelving, displays, and cabinets. All these furnishings are included in the cost of the library.
Care and Protection: A wizard’s library is an investment of great value to the character eventually exceeding even the most complete laboratories and forges. Naturally, the owner should be quite interested in making sure nothing happens to it. The library should be in a dry, secure room that is well-ventilated but not open to the weather. Dampness can quickly mold or destroy books, especially those made without modern preservatives. Last but not least, the wizard should consider fire traps or similar spells to guard the room against intruders.
Supplies and Reagents
Laboratories require a large amount of both common and unusual substances. Furnaces and burners must be fueled; water, oil, brine, vinegar, and other liquids are required for cooling, distilling, and quenching; small amounts of chemicals, salts, rare earths, herbs, and various specimens are expended with each day of research; and glassware and pottery may be ruined by one use or broken in accidents. Even if a lab is not in active use, some of the supplies and reagents will go bad or lose their potency with prolonged storage. The upshot of this discussion is simple: Once a wizard finishes building and outfitting his lab, he will still have to spend some money to maintain its supplies and equipment.
This maintenance cost is assumed to be 10% of the lab’s total value, not counting the library, for every month of active use. For example, a 5,000 gp forge uses up 500 gp of supplies each month. This cost does not include any special or unique materials, such as a particular item that is to be enchanted, or an unusual material required for a specific potion or scroll ink. For example, if a wizard is enchanting a long sword +1, the cost of the sword itself is not included in the lab’s monthly operating cost. Similarly, if he is mixing the ink for a scroll of protection from petrification, any exotic ingredients such as a basilisk’s eye or a cockatrice’s feather must be obtained through a deliberate action of the player character.
If the laboratory is not in active use—the owner is off adventuring, or otherwise engaged—the maintenance cost drops to half the normal amount. For the 5,000 gp forge described above, this would be 250 gp per month. This "moth-balled" expense reflects the materials and specimens that are becoming unusable due to the passage of time. Of course, the wizard can choose not to pay this cost, allowing several months of maintenance to pile up before restocking the laboratory. In any event, the cost to resupply a laboratory never exceeds more than half the lab’s total value, since a lot of the equipment is fairly permanent. In the case of the 5,000 gp forge, a character would have to pay 2,500 gp to restock his laboratory after 10 months of neglect, but 15 or 20 months of not paying the maintenance cost wouldn’t be any more damaging.
Alchemists and Artificers: These specialist wizards must pay 50 gp per character level per month in order to maintain their laboratories. The wizard can defer or ignore these expenses, but this causes the loss of many of his specialist benefits—see Chapter 1. If the wizard misses some payments, he must make up all the money he owes before restoring his lab to operation, up to half the value of the laboratory itself. In other words, an 8th-level artificer must pay 400 gp per month to maintain his forge; if he skips one month of resupply, he loses many of his special abilities, and must pay 800 gp the following month or do without his powers for another month.
Relocating Laboratories
Laboratories of any type are not very portable. If a character needs to move a lab, he requires one medium-sized wagon for each 100 square feet of equipment and materials. Packing up a lab or setting it up again after transport should require at least two to three days per wagon-load, and the wizard will certainly have to spend a significant amount of money in replacing broken, lost, or ruined materials. Depending on the length of the journey and the care of the wizard’s preparations, he will have to replace materials and equipment worth 10% to 40% of the value of the entire laboratory.
Shiria the Sorceress is
a 7th-level invoker who has a great idea for a new spell, Shiria’s Bolt of
Efficacious Destruction. First, she needs to find a site for her laboratory;
after due consideration, Shiria elects to locate her lab in the town she and
her comrades use as a base of operations. She decides to buy a
"medium" stone building in a good part of town to house her
laboratory and spends 3,000 gp to have a new building raised (she wants some
specialized features to be included). The construction takes 10 weeks.
While she’s waiting for
her building to be completed, Shiria decides to get a head start on collecting
the materials and equipment she requires for her lab. Since she plans to do
spell research, she decides to acquire a research laboratory, and the DM sets
the price at 3,000 gp. It’s reasonable to assume that collecting and setting up
the equipment would take some time, as well, but the DM generously decides that
Shiria can do a lot of this while the building’s going up.
The initial expense of
the lab includes a small library suitable for researching 1st-level spells, but
Shiria’s Bolt is proposed as a 3rd-level spell, and Shiria will have to
expand her library immediately to perform the research. She requires a library
valued at 4,000 gp above and beyond her laboratory. The DM doesn’t feel like
identifying any particular books she needs to find; Shiria can build her
library at the rate of 500 gp per week, finishing her collection just about the
time her building’s ready for occupation.
Since the research
laboratory is valued at 3,000 gp, Shiria will have to pay maintenance and
upkeep totalling 300 gp per month while she is engaged in active research, or
150 gp a month to keep the lab moth-balled. By now, Shiria’s purse is feeling a
little light! She could have saved some money by renting a building instead of
buying, or borrowing someone’s library instead of outfitting her own. Of
course, she can recoup some of her investment by selling access to her
facilities to other wizards, or selling Shiria’s Bolt of Efficacious
Destruction once she develops it!
Priests’ Altar Wizards aren’t the only characters capable of creating magical items. Priests, too, have this capability. Priests can create scrolls at 7th level, potions at 9th level, and other types of magic items at 11th level. Instead of cluttered laboratories filled with all varieties of reagents and bizarre devices, priests need only build a special consecrated altar to their deity in order to create magical items.
The Location
Altars don’t need the continuous maintenance or skilled pool of laborers and craftsmen that a wizard’s laboratory requires. Because of this, the altar can be located anywhere the priest wishes to put it, within reason. The general site should be someplace within the deity’s sphere of interest, so an altar dedicated to a sea-god should be near the sea, while one dedicated to a druidical power should be located in a pristine wilderness. Considerations such as the distance to the nearest large city or convenience for the character are secondary, at best.
There are two types of location that are ideal: a location that is easily accessible to a large body of the power’s worshippers, or a location that has special significance to the power. A priest of Tempus (a god of storms and battle from the Forgotten Realms campaign setting) could meet the first condition by locating his altar in a fortress manned by a number of soldiers who follow Tempus, or a city that included a large congregation of Tempus’ worshippers. Or, he might find an ancient battlefield or storm-lashed peak to be appropriate, since they meet the second condition. The DM is the final arbiter of what is or isn’t an appropriate location for a particular deity’s altar.
Like the wizard’s laboratory, the priest’s altar represents a significant investment of time, energy, and money. Thieves may attempt to loot the rich trappings of the altar, and enemies of the faith will not hesitate to desecrate an altar left unprotected. As a result, once a place suitable for his patron deity has been found, the priest should make the security and safety of the altar a primary goal.
Physical Requirements
After finding a suitable location for the altar, the priest must consider what kind of facility he will need to house, shelter, or support the altar. In many cases, he can simply add the altar to an existing temple, monastery, or shrine dedicated to his deity. However, this may require the priest to expand or renovate the existing structure to make it suitable for the altar. Refer to Table 11: Building Construction Time and Cost for building costs; if the altar is to be housed in a free-standing structure, it must be at least a medium-sized building, but an expansion to an old temple might be the equivalent of a small building.
If the altar is located on a sacred site (a forest glade for a druid power, or a mountain peak for a god of the sky), the priest may not have to raise any kind of building to shelter it, especially if a man-made shelter would somehow be inappropriate at that site. However, preparing and clearing a site should still require an amount of work equivalent to raising a small building.
Materials and Decoration
The altar, its decorations or trappings, and the preparations for the ceremony of consecration cost at least 2,000 gp, above and beyond the cost for any building or structures to house it. Generally, the altar must be built of whatever materials seem appropriate; for a god of war, an altar made from the swords of brave men, or the shields of fallen warriors, could be appropriate. A deity of storms might require an altar built from a hundred-year-old oak split by lightning. In any event, the altar should be of the finest workmanship possible. Building an altar requires at least 2d4 weeks of the priest’s time and attention, and the services of skilled masons, smiths, or woodworkers.
In addition to the construction of the altar, the priest must also assemble and prepare special incenses, ceremonial vestments, and other unusual materials. This could cost anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 gp more, depending on the deity involved. The priest may be able to borrow some of these materials from a large temple of his own faith, which would reduce the cost by 50%.
Consecrating the Altar
Once the altar has been completed, the priest must consecrate it to his deity. The prayers, chants, and rituals require at least one full week. During this ceremony, the priest cannot be called away for other duties; if he leaves, he must begin again from the start and replace any materials expended in the abortive ceremony.
At the end of each full week of prayer, the DM makes a special check to see if the priest gains the favor of his deity. The base chance for success is a percentage equal to 5 times the character’s level, so a 10th-level priest has a 50% chance of success after one week. For each additional week of prayer, the chance of success increases by 5%. Given time, the priest should eventually succeed, unless he’s angered his deity in some way.
When the power responds to the priest’s prayers, the priest must offer up something of value or perform a special quest, whichever is demanded by the deity. The DM decides what is appropriate for the character and the deity he follows. Surrendering magical items, treasure of great value, or an item hand-crafted by the priest are all reasonable. A quest that a priest of a god of healing might follow could be to go among the poor and heal one hundred of the sick, while a god of honor might ask the priest to go to the king’s court and expose his dishonorable dealings. By completing the quest or making the appropriate sacrifice, the priest demonstrates his devotion, and the deity consecrates the altar.
A consecrated altar radiates a bless spell in a 10-foot radius. It remains consecrated until desecrated in some way by the deity’s enemies, or until the priest who consecrated it dies or falls from the faith. A consecrated altar can be used to produce potions, scrolls, and other magical items, as described in Chapter 7.
Material Spell Components Even without a laboratory or a consecrated altar, priests and wizards often find themselves in need of unusual or hard-to-find items for material components in their spells. While many DMs do not require players to keep track of their characters’ stocks of spell components, this can be a great test of a PC’s resourcefulness and the source of many adventures. After all, merely finding a diamond worth 1,000 gp is quite an event for a low-level character, but then the player has to decide whether to grind it into worthless powder for use in a critical spell!
Spell Components: Yes or No?
One of the optional rules presented in the Player’s Handbook is the use of spell components. You are free to decide to use or ignore components in your own campaign; as long as the NPCs abide by the same rules and restrictions the players do, the game works equally well in either case. The real crux of this issue are material components, and whether or not players should have to keep track of their stocks of spell reagents.
There are some very good reasons why you shouldn’t use material components in play; it requires a great attention to detail and some honesty on the part of the players, and may create obstacles or difficulties that take away from the DM’s plot. After all, if the party’s wizard has to drop out of the epic adventure in mid-stride to track down the ingredients for his next fireball spell, all concerned may feel a little frustrated or annoyed.
On the other hand, using spell components and requiring an account of what the wizard has on his person and what he has stockpiled in his laboratory or home base can add another dimension of detail and pseudo-realism to the game. If spell components aren’t used, who cares if a wizard is down to his last three coppers? More than any other class, a wizard can operate with no concern for material wealth— unless he has to worry about whether or not he can afford to buy the materials he’ll need to be able to cast his spells. In addition, the use of spell components requires players to spend some time and effort thinking about situations their characters would certainly be dealing with and can enhance role-playing if it isn’t taken to extremes.
Generally, enforcing the requirements for material components works best for low- to mid-level characters. By the time a wizard is 8th or 9th level, he’s usually wealthy enough to easily buy any materials he needs, and his daily selection of spells is so broad that keeping track of each type of component carried becomes a logistical nightmare. By that time, the DM can allow the player a little slack; the wizard’s a mighty hero now, and both player and DM may have other arenas of role-playing (building laboratories or establishing strongholds) that the character will be graduating to. However, at low levels, wizards and priests will find that some of their favorite spells have to be saved for when they’re truly needed.
For example, low-level wizards often rely on the armor spell as their sole means of defense against physical attack. Armor requires a piece of leather—no problem there—that has been blessed by a priest. Referring to Table 69: NPC Spell Costs in the DMG, bless is usually reserved for characters of the same faith as the casting priest, and even then a small sum might be required. So, the wizard who wants the piece of leather blessed for his spell might have to convert to the faith of nearest available priest, and tithe him 10 or 20 gp to boot! If you consider how often players simply say, "Oh yeah, I’ll cast armor the day before we leave, so I’ll have my 1st-level spell open and armor in effect," you can see just how much hassle (and role-playing opportunities!) are ignored by the player and DM.
Acquiring Spell Components
The materials used to power spells range from the mundane to the bizarre and the exotic. Dozens of spells require things like pebbles, stones, dirt, twigs, or leaves that can be found literally anywhere—including the middle of a battle, if a spellcaster is desperate. A number of spells require nothing more than a little bit of foresight and access to a simple trading post or small market. Likewise, a few spells require painstaking and expensive preparations that may be impossible to repeat in the field.
Scavenging: The cheapest method of acquiring spell components is a field search. Many plant and animal specimens can be harvested with nothing more than time and a little luck, and a wizard who knows what he’s looking for can find a fair number of minerals as well. The wizard has to find an appropriate location, such as a nearby forest or field for animal and plant specimens. Materials that can be collected with a field search are rated as common, uncommon, or rare; depending on the amount of time the wizard takes, the suitability of his search, and the item’s scarcity, he may or may not be successful. See Table 14: Field Searches.
Table 14:
Field Searches
Item Base Search Base Time
Scarcity Time Success Bonus
Common 1d6 turns 75% +10%/turn
Uncommon 3d6 turns 50% +5%/turn
Rare 1d4+1 hours 25% +2%/turn
Item scarcity is taken from Table 16: Spell Components. The DM may modify the category depending on where the wizard is searching; finding sand on a beach is pretty easy, for example.
Base search time is the amount of time required to search for the item in question. A character can search for only one component at a time.
Base success is the likelihood that the character will find the material in the base search time.
Time bonus increases the success chance for each additional turn the caster spends searching for the item. If he fails to find the material in the base search time, he can continue to look, adding this percentage to his success chance as shown on the table.
A field search for common materials doesn’t take much time, so a traveling wizard could pause for brief searches during the march or while his companions are setting up or breaking camp. Depending on what it is the wizard is looking for, he can find anywhere from 1 to 20 or more doses or samples of the material. For example, if the wizard was searching a damp forest for foxfire, he might find enough to be used in anywhere from 1 to 20 spells. Of course, storing and preserving multiple uses of a component may be harder than finding it to begin with.
Purchasing: If the wizard doesn’t have time to search for materials himself, or can’t find a certain component, he can always purchase what he needs. Again, the item scarcity reflects the likelihood that someone in the vicinity happens to have the material or compound the wizard requires. If the wizard is out to purchase materials, the most important consideration is the number of vendors or the size and completeness of the market he will be searching. This is generally a function of the community size, but the DM can modify item scarcity to reflect the character of the town. For example, many uncommon or rare chemicals may be common in a city that supports an Alchemist Guild.
Shopping for items in a town takes some amount of time, as well. A character may have to examine half a dozen smithies to find soot or charcoal of the exact color, weight, and composition he needs. Generally, common items can be located in a few minutes, while rare items may take several hours of the wizard’s time. Anywhere from 1 to 20 or more usages can be found.
Table 15:
Purchasing Components
City ———————Scarcity———————
Size Common Uncommon Rare
Village 80% 50% 20%
Town 90% 60% 30%
City 100% 70% 40%
Major City 100% 80% 50%
Wizards with Laboratories: One nice benefit about an up-to-date, well-stocked laboratory is that it includes a number of interesting compounds, minerals, and specimens that may be useful as spell components. If a wizard owns a laboratory, there is a 50% chance that 1 to 20 usages of any given spell component from the mineral, animal specimen, and plant specimen list may be on hand, and a 25% chance that a spell component from the finished item list may be present. The laboratory’s normal upkeep and maintenance expenses cover the cost of replacing these items once per month.
Rule of Common Sense: The rules presented here for acquiring spell components are intended to be guidelines for the DM. If a player is particularly resourceful or intelligent in looking for components, ignore the dice and let his character find whatever it is that he’s looking for. Clever play should always be rewarded. On the other hand, sometimes items just aren’t available in a given area, no matter how hard someone looks. Finding iron filings in a village of Stone Age technology is going to be extremely difficult, to say the least. Flowers, plants, and herbs common in one part of the world may not exist elsewhere—no amount of money could create a pineapple in medieval Iceland, for example.
Storage of Spell Components
Spell components are quite small. Most spells require only the smallest pinches of powder or a few drops of liquid. In fact, the containers that are required to hold the materials and make them easy for a caster to find without looking are far more bulky and clumsy than the materials themselves. Small leather pouches, glass vials or tubes, or tiny clay finger-pots sealed with wax plugs are the most common storage devices. Most wizards choose to store the spell components for each of their memorized spells in separate, pre-measured amounts to facilitate quick and accurate casting. With a system like this, there are ten to twenty spell components to a pound—even the most powerful wizard carries only a couple of pounds of components.
For some wizards, it’s a good idea to carry a bulk supply of some common reagents from which the individual spell preparations can be drawn. For example, a traveling wizard may find it to be a good idea to carry a whole spool of thread or string, since several spells call for this component. A bulk container usually contains twenty to fifty usages of the component in question and weighs about a pound. The character can carry a dozen or more of these in a leather saddlebag or a small trunk, ensuring that he won’t run out at a critical moment. Bulk containers cost five times the listed expense of a component, but contain dozens of doses.
Some spell components may be perishable or short-lived. These items are noted on the component list. A perishable item can last for a week or so before it’s useless. Obviously, the character shouldn’t purchase or store more than a few days’ worth at a time.
The Spell Component List
There are a couple of classes of item deliberately not included on Table 16: items that already have a listed cost in the spell description (the special dust mixture of Leomund’s trap, or the 100 gp pearl required for identify, for instance) and items that are chosen or customized at the time of the spell. For example, the spell banishment requires the use of materials "harmful, hateful, or opposed to the nature of the subject of the spell." Since this could consist of a wide variety of substances, banishment’s material components weren’t included on the list.
The spell components are divided into several categories, reflecting their general nature and origins. These include: Miniatures and Models; Finished or Refined Items; Minerals; Common or Household Items; Animal Specimens; Plant Specimens; and Other, a catch-all for anything that doesn’t clearly fit in another category.
Each item has a note concerning its method of acquisition. Items are listed as FS (Field Search), TM (Town or market), SO (Special Order), or Auto (items that can automatically be found by anyone willing to look for a few minutes.) A few items are both field search and town or market, meaning that a wizard can try to buy the material if he can’t find it for himself.
Scarcity is listed for items that wizards might search for or try to purchase, and a cost for items that the wizard might want to purchase. Also, items that are commonly available in the wizard’s own laboratory are noted. Finally, items like the various dusts are priced with one spell use in mind. For example, if a wizard wishes to have enough powdered amber to cast two spells, he needs to come up with 80 gold pieces (40 x 2).
Note that the cost of an item can vary wildly with the circumstances. Buying coffin wood in a kingdom where the interment of the dead is considered the sole and sacred province of a fanatical religious sect could be far more difficult than a stroll down to the undertaker’s place of business! Similarly, tolls, finder’s fees, and all kinds of surcharges could come into play for strange or exotic items.
In addition to the problems of cost, some special-order items may take quite some time to locate. For example, finding a 100-year-old map to tear to pieces could be quite difficult. Even the most dedicated book-buyer, herbalist, or apothecary may have to wait several weeks for something to turn up. Some special items may not be available for any price, and the wizard may have to locate these items personally if he wishes to cast the spells in question.
Purchasing Agents: For the adventuring wizard, it’s a very good idea to spend money on hirelings who can handle the acquisition of components. For instance, the wizard might hire a couple of local children to collect various insects or herbs. Unless the assistants are well-trained, at least 75% of the material they bring back will be unusable due to small imperfections or taints, but for simple materials an assistant can save the wizard a lot of time. Apprentices are often assigned to these duties, both to learn what makes for a good spell component, and to save their masters the time of stalking through a field, looking for a cricket or mouse that will let itself be captured.
Arcanists and Apothecaries Most large towns in a typical AD&D campaign support one or two apothecaries, herbalists, alchemists, wise women, occultists, or hedge wizards. These shopkeepers make their living by providing minor enchantments, charms, or herbal mixtures to the townspeople. For the most part, the services and goods offered by these merchants are of little interest to the typical adventurer, but they can be excellent sources of spell components, and from time to time they may purchase magical items from player characters or have an odd item for sale.
In addition to the sellers of mundane herbs, minerals, and charms, a few large cities may support an arcanist’s shop. An arcanist is a merchant who trades in items of interest to wizards, including spell components, books and parchment suitable for spell books, and magical items. Arcanists are sometimes sponsored by a large wizard’s guild and are most frequently found in cities where wizards are well-regarded and fairly common.
Alchemists
The great majority of alchemists are 0-level characters, as opposed to mages or specialists in the school of alchemy. They are skilled in the nonweapon proficiency of alchemy, but cannot cast spells or manufacture potions or magical items. What common alchemists can do is create nonmagical chemical mixtures that may be useful to an adventuring party, or provide a character with the opportunity to purchase spell components from the mineral list at the listed cost. Of course, the laws of supply and demand apply; the alchemist will charge what he can get for materials that his customers can’t get anywhere else.
Some of the alchemists’ other wares include the following:
Acid: Through careful distillation, alchemists can brew potent acid. (See the proficiency description, on page 51 of Chapter 4.) A flask-full of acid can command anywhere from 50 to 100 or (1d6+4) x 10 gold pieces, while a vial might sell for 10 to 40 gp.
Incendiaries: These dangerous concoctions range from flammable oils and pitches to nasty stuff like naphtha or Greek fire. Again, refer to the description of the alchemist nonweapon proficiency in Chapter 4. A flask of an incendiary substance usually costs 10 to 30 gp.
Pyrotechnics: Unlike the previous two substances, pyrotechnic mixtures are often powders. They can be used to create clouds of smoke of a variety of colors, or bright flashes of light when added to an existing fire. A vial of pyrotechnic mixture costs 5 to 20 (5d4) gp, while a flask costs anywhere from 10 to 30 gp.
Apothecaries and Herbalists
At first glance, these may seem to be two completely different occupations, but they share similar roles in the community. Both apothecaries and herbalists provide medicines for people suffering from a variety of ailments, and a great portion of these remedies are derived from various plants, herbs, and roots. Townspeople go to apothecaries or herbalists for pain relievers, poultices, purgatives and laxatives, and all other kinds of medicines.
Adventurers find that apothecaries and herbalists are excellent sources of spell components, especially from the common, herb, and animal specimen lists. In addition, apothecaries sometimes serve as dealers in odds-and-ends in smaller towns, and a magical item such as a potion or ring may occasionally turn up in their possession. This is an unusual occurrence, so player characters might have the opportunity to examine or purchase an item only once or twice in a campaign year from any given apothecary. Refer to the list of the most common magical items, at the end of this chapter.
In addition to their trade in spell components and the rare magical item, apothecaries and herbalists can create medicinal mixtures with the following properties:
Healing salve: This ointment contains herbs that help to stop bleeding and close a wound, as well as infection-fighting properties. Applying the salve to a character with open cuts or bleeding wounds (not crushing or bludgeoning injuries) restores 1 hit point per separate wound or injury. For example, if a character was struck three times in the course of a melee, three applications of salve could restore 3 lost hit points. Healing salve costs 5 to 20 gold pieces per application.
Healing poultice: This compress helps to reduce swelling and bruising. It has the same effect as healing salve when applied to impact injuries and costs 10 to 30 gold pieces per poultice.
Poison antidote: A herbalist or apothecary can prepare an antidote to one specific natural toxin, such as a rattlesnake bite or the sting of a giant wasp. The apothecary must have some idea of what will help the victim, so rare or unusual venoms (such as the giant wasp mentioned above) may be completely unknown. If the character knows an antidote, the herbalist or apothecary can prepare a dose that will remain good for 1 to 4 days at a cost of 20 to 80 gp. The poison antidote allows the victim to reroll his saving throw vs. poison with a +2 bonus, if it is administered within five rounds of the poisoning. Naturally, it is only effective against the specific toxin it was prepared for.
Wise Women and Hedge Wizards
Every village or hamlet has its own resident "witch" or "wizard," or a person who claims command of magical powers and knowledge of herbs, spells, and charms. In a few cases, these characters are actually low-level magic-users, but more often they’re fakes or charlatans. Most of these wise women or hedge wizards are 0-level characters with the herbalism and healing proficiencies. They can sell spell components from the herb, animal specimen, and common lists, although they often have no idea what a particular herb or item might be good for.
Wise women and hedge wizards may be capable of creating healing salves and poultices, as described above. In addition, they can create minor charms or fetishes. These are temporary magical items about as powerful as a typical cantrip. Good examples would include a "love amulet," that raised the wearer’s Charisma (Cha/Appearance) by 1 or 2 points, but only in the eyes of one particular subject whose hair was used in the making of the charm; a charm that discouraged mice or insects from entering a kitchen or pantry; or a small totem that brought the user good luck (a +1 bonus) on his next saving throw against a specific threat, such as fire, poison, or resisting mental spells. A charm costs anywhere from 5 to 50 gold pieces, and retains its enchantment for 1 to 4 days.
Arcanist
Only the largest cities can support an arcanist, or a shopkeeper who deals solely in magical reagents, components, and the occasional enchanted item. An arcanist can provide spell components from any list, and also a number of other generally useful items for a wizard—paper, vellum, parchment, ink, quills, alchemical supplies and equipment, and other such things.
Because arcanists have a clientele of wizards, they are willing to buy magical items and rare or unusual materials that could be useful as spell components. Player characters may sell components for 30% to 80% or (1d6+2) x 10% of their listed value. Magical items can be sold for whatever price the DM deems fair, although a PC selling a magical item should not be able to make more than twice the item’s experience point value from the sale. In fact, it’s perfectly reasonable for the DM to rule that the seller must sell by consignment—in other words, the arcanist agrees to display the item and handle any inquiries about it for a 10% share of the asking price, but he won’t buy it outright. Until another customer comes along to show an interest in the item, the PC seller makes no money. Note that magical items are rare, and from week to week the arcanist has no idea what may or may not show up in his shop.
Buying, Selling, and Trading
Magical Items
In most AD&D campaigns, magical items are rare enough that it is nearly inconceivable that people would buy or sell them like any other commodity. For various
reasons, magical items tend to be concentrated in the hands of player characters and their principal enemies. This means that the PCs never really experience the true scarcity of enchanted items and lose the sense of wonder that most people in their world would feel at even seeing a magical sword, a wand, or a nifty item like a carpet of flying.
The effect of this scarcity is simple: Allowing the player characters to purchase or trade magical items is a privilege, and a rare one at that. It’s an opportunity that comes along quite infrequently in a campaign, and in many cases it should be an opportunity that the players spent time and adventuring to create. In other words, if a player decides that his character wants to find a ring of fire resistance and purchase it, there should be a lot more involved than a stroll down to the corner store. The character might have to hire a sage and spend weeks running down the chain of possession of the last known ring of fire resistance to appear in the area, and then he may have to locate its current owner and make an extremely generous offer—including trading magical items of his own, or undertaking some quest or service for the prospective seller—to have a chance of purchasing the ring.
If the character is content to check in with the nearest arcanist once in a while, it could take months or years before the arcanist happened to stumble across the item the character was looking for—and even then, someone else might be interested in the same item. A bidding war, threats, or outright assassination attempts could result from two wealthy characters both trying to acquire the same item.
Selling items isn’t always easy, either. The PCs have to locate a buyer, and then agree on a fair price. Nobody in a small village will have the money required to buy a real magical item, and even a prosperous town may only have two or three individuals who could afford to buy what the PCs are offering for sale. Items such as potions or rings tend to be easier to sell, since anyone can use them, but books, wands, staves, or other items suited for priests or wizards only will be much more difficult to sell. In any event, the PCs are likely to see only 30% to 80% of their asking price for any given item, and they may have to demonstrate that the item works (or pay for an identify spell from a neutral party) in order to clinch the sale.
The Cost of Magical Items: Enchanted items are rare and valuable. Without exception, they are the rarest and most expensive commodities to be found in a fantasy setting. They are valued accordingly. Even if a character happens to locate a magical item for sale (an extremely rare event), the cost of the item is usually prohibitive, to say the least. As a basic rule of thumb, magical items should be worth anywhere from 5 to 20 times the listed experience point value, and a minimum of 200 gp for one-use items, or 1,000 gp for persistent items. In many cases, the DM should set the cost for an item at a significant percentage of the character’s total wealth—if someone has the only magical ring for sale in the entire kingdom, they’re going to demand a huge sum for it, even if it’s only a ring of protection +1.
In addition to the money involved, a character may have to offer a magical item of similar value in trade, or offer to perform a service or undertake a quest to sweeten the deal for the seller. Regardless of the final deal struck, a player character should be careful of switches, swindles, or reneging; more than one adventurer has gone to his death believing that a brass ring with Nystul’s magical aura is a ring of wishes or spell turning.
Table 16:
Spell Components
Models and Miniatures
Item Acquisition Scarcity Cost
Bag, tiny SO, TM Common 2 cp
Balance, golden SO Rare 10 gp
Bell, golden SO Uncommon 6 gp
Bell, tiny SO, TM Common 5 sp
Blade, knife TM Common 3 sp
Bust of caster, tiny SO Rare 15 gp
Cage, silver wire SO Rare 8 gp
Caltrop, golden SO Rare 20 gp
Candelabra, silver SO Rare 12 gp
Circle, brass SO Uncommon 2 gp
Circle, gold SO Uncommon 15 gp
Circle, platinum SO Rare 25 gp
Circle, silver SO Uncommon 5 gp
Cone, bull or ram horn SO, TM Uncommon 4 gp
Cone, crystal SO, TM Rare 7 gp
Cylinder, brass SO, TM Uncommon 8 gp
Cylinder, copper SO, TM Uncommon 8 gp
Cylinder, obsidian SO Rare 14 gp
Dagger, tiny SO Rare 4 gp
Dart, tiny SO Rare 3 gp
Die SO, TM Uncommon 1 sp
Die, bronze SO Rare 2 gp
Die, silver SO Rare 4 gp
Disk, bone, numbered SO Rare 3 sp
Doll, replica of self SO Rare 10 gp
Drum, small SO, TM Uncommon 8 sp
Fan, silk SO, TM Rare 1 gp
Fan, tiny SO, TM Uncommon 2 sp
Glove, black silk SO, TM Uncommon 8 sp
Glove, leather TM Common 4 cp
Glove, scorched TM Uncommon 2 cp
Glove, snakeskin SO Rare 6 gp
Glove, soft TM Common 1 sp
Hand, clay SO Rare 3 gp
Hand, stone SO Rare 5 gp
Handkerchief, silk TM Uncommon 2 sp
Hinge, rusty iron TM Uncommon 5 cp
Horseshoe TM Common 1 sp
Hourglass SO, TM Rare 25 gp
Key, silver SO Rare 12 gp
Links, gold SO Rare 8 gp
Metal cube, perfect SO Rare 10 gp
Mirror, silver, small SO, TM Uncommon 15 gp
Mirror, tiny TM, SO Rare 20 gp
Needle TM Common 2 cp
Needle, golden, tiny SO Rare 3 gp
Needle, magnetized TM Uncommon 1 gp
Paintbrush TM Common 6 cp
Pendant, metal SO Rare 8 gp
Pin, silver SO Uncommon 1 gp
Plate mail, piece SO, TM Uncommon 5 gp
Portal, ivory SO Rare 15 gp
Pouch, leather TM Common 1 sp
Prayer beads TM Common 2 gp
Siege engine SO Rare 11 gp
Sphere, obsidian SO Rare 18 gp
Spinner, brass SO, TM Rare 2 gp
Spoon, silver TM Uncommon 1 gp
Standard, miniature SO Rare 4 gp
Statue, canine, ebony SO Rare 12 gp
Statue, canine, ivory SO Rare 12 gp
Statuette, ivory, of caster SO Rare 30 gp
Trumpet, hearing, brass, small TM Uncommon 6 sp
Veil, silk TM Rare 1 gp
War hammer TM Uncommon 2 gp
Whistle, bone SO, TM Rare 6 gp
Whistle, silver, tiny SO, TM Rare 12 gp
Whistle, vulture-bone SO Rare 5 gp
Ziggurat, clay SO Rare 10 gp
Refined/Finished Items
Item Acquisition Scarcity Cost
Ball, lead TM Common 2 cp
+Bar, iron, magnetized TM Uncommon 8 cp
+Bar, metal TM Common 1 cp
Bead, crystal TM Uncommon 6 cp
+Bead, glass TM Common 3 cp
Blade, iron TM Common 4 cp
Box, small TM Uncommon 5 cp
Crystal, leaded TM Uncommon 5 sp
Cube, cast iron SO Uncommon 3 sp
Diamond, hemispherical SO Rare 60 gp
Disc, bronze TM Uncommon 1 sp
+Gauze TM Uncommon 1 sp
Glass, opaque TM Uncommon 8 sp
Glass sheet TM Uncommon 2 gp
+Glass tube TM Uncommon 1 gp
+Incense TM Uncommon 15 gp
Iron, sheet TM Common 4 sp
Lens, small TM, SO Rare 8 gp
+Magnet, small TM Uncommon 1 sp
Marble, black glass TM Common 4 cp
Marble, colored glass TM Common 4 cp
Mirror, fragment TM Uncommon 1 gp
Moonstone, polished TM, SO Rare 50 gp
+Paint, small pot TM Common 2 sp
Prism, crystal TM, SO Rare 5 gp
Ribbon TM Common 2 cp
Rod, amber TM, SO Rare 25 gp
Rod, crystal TM Rare 3 gp
+Rod, glass TM Rare 1 gp
Rod, iron TM Common 2 cp
Rod, silver TM, SO Rare 2 gp
Sheet, gold TM, SO Rare 20 gp
Sheet, platinum TM, SO Rare 30 gp
Sheet, silver TM, SO Rare 15 gp
Silk TM Uncommon 1 gp
Silk, black TM Rare 3 gp
Silk, colored TM Uncommon 2 gp
Silk streamer TM Rare 5 gp
Sphere, clay TM Common 1 cp
Sphere, glass TM Uncommon 1 sp
Stick or strip, ivory TM, SO Rare 5 gp
Tarts, tiny** SO Rare 1 sp
+Wire, copper TM Uncommon 1 gp
Wire, golden TM Uncommon 5 gp
Wire, platinum SO Rare 10 gp
Wire, silver TM Uncommon 2 gp
Minerals
Item Acquisition Scarcity Cost
Agate TM, SO Uncommon 50 gp
Amber TM, SO Uncommon 25 gp
Amber, powdered TM, SO Rare 40 gp
+Ash, volcanic FS, TM Rare 1 sp
+Bitumen FS, TM Rare 5 cp
+Carbon FS, TM Uncommon 5 cp
+Chalk Auto Common 1 cp
Charcoal Auto, FS Common 1 cp
Chrysolite, powdered TM, SO Rare 50 gp
+Clay Auto, FS Common 1 cp
+Coal FS, TM Common 1 cp
Copper TM Uncommon 5 cp
+Dust, coal FS, TM Common 1 cp
Dust, diamond SO Rare 100 gp
Dust, gold TM, SO Uncommon 10 gp
Dust, granite FS, TM Uncommon 1 cp
Dust, steel TM Uncommon 1 sp
Emerald, powdered SO Rare 60 gp
Feldspar, moonstone FS, TM Uncommon 5 gp
Feldspar, sunstone FS, TM Rare 8 gp
+Flint Auto, FS Common 2 cp
Granite, black FS, TM Rare 2 gp
Graphite, powdered TM, SO Uncommon 1 gp
+Iron filings TM Common 4 cp
+Iron, piece TM Common 8 cp
+Iron, powdered TM Uncommon 1 sp
+Iron pyrite FS, TM Common 2 sp
+Lead TM Common 2 cp
+Lime FS, TM Common 5 cp
+Lodestone TM Rare 1 gp
+Mercury (Quicksilver) TM, SO Rare 10 gp
Mica, chip FS, TM Uncommon 1 sp
Mica, ground TM Uncommon 5 sp
Phosphorus SO Rare 5 gp
+Pitch TM Common 8 cp
Quartz, clear FS, TM Common 4 sp
Quartz, powdered TM Uncommon 8 sp
Quartz, smoky FS, TM Common 2 sp
Ruby, powdered SO Rare 60 gp
+Salt FS, TM Common 2 cp
+Saltpeter FS, TM Common 1 cp
+Salts, alkaline FS, SO Rare 8 gp
Sand, colored TM, SO Uncommon 1 gp
Silver, powdered TM, SO Rare 5 gp
Stalactites, small FS Uncommon —
Stone Auto Common —
Stone, chip Auto Common —
Stone, marble FS, TM Common 1 sp
+Sulphur FS, TM Uncommon 5 sp
Talc TM Uncommon 2 sp
Vermilion TM Uncommon 6 sp
Zinc TM, SO Rare 8 sp
Common/Household Materials
Item Acquisition Scarcity Cost
Acorn FS Common —
Bark chips Auto Common —
Beeswax FS, TM Uncommon 2 sp
Blood** Auto Common —
+Bone, powdered TM Uncommon 1 sp
Bone, small Auto Common —
Butter** TM Common 2 sp
Candle, black wax TM Uncommon 5 cp
Candle, small TM Common 1 cp
Carrot, dried** TM Common 1 cp
Cloth, cotton TM Common 1 cp
Cloth, red TM Common 2 cp
Cloth, white TM Common 1 cp
Coffee bean TM Uncommon 1 cp
Coin, copper piece TM Common 1 cp
Coin, silver TM Common 1 sp
Coin, gold TM Common 1 gp
+Cork TM Uncommon 4 cp
Corn, kernel** Auto Common —
Corn, powdered** TM Common 1 cp
Cotton TM Uncommon 2 cp
Dirt Auto Common —
Dust Auto Common —
Egg, rotten FS, TM Common 1 cp
Egg, shell FS, TM Common 1 cp
Egg, yolk** FS, TM Common 1 cp
Eyelash Auto Common —
Fat** Auto Common 2 cp
Feather Auto Common 1 cp
Fleece TM Common 1 cp
Flour Auto Common 4 cp
Fruit, rotten**