Ultimate Magus
Magus is an arcane spellcaster who focuses on magical energies. Magi train extensively in combat uses of their spells, most of which are purely offensive or defensive, and they are unmatched in their skill to command forces of fire, force, electricity, or even luck.
iAdventures: Most magi are part of larger organizations, such as an army or magic school, and rarely adventure for personal gains. They are however often sent on missions that require serious fire-power (or sonic-power). They also appear as bodyguards and defenders of powerful figures, as their mere presence can strike fear into the hearts of lesser men and sends a message that opposition is a really bad idea.
Characteristics: Magi are arcane spellcasters who specialize in both destructive and protective magic. Their repertoire of damaging spells has no equals but, unlike clerics, their defensive spells usually protect only them. Magi have abilities that help them survive both mundane and magical combat just long enough to reduce their enemies to piles of hot dust. Magi's favored schools of magic are abjuration and evocation.
Alignment: Magi, trained to work in larger structures and obey orders, are usually lawful. Those who are chaotic sometimes run away to live on the run unless they can find powerful allies or attract followers or pupils. Magi have no preference whatsoever toward good of evil, but many are dreary after witnessing the horrors of war and what a powerful spell can do to a human body.
Religion: Magi are not of religious sort. They wield great power and are often arrogant and brash. Some magi who revel in devastation pray to gods of destruction and war but most of them don't.
Background: Magi often hail from rich families who send their (usually smart) children to an evocation master or school for evaluation and hopefully an apprenticeship. The carrier of a magus is a prestigious one but becoming one is a hard task that requires talent, determination, and years upon years of difficult training. As a result of spending most of the childhood and teen years in the books, almost every fresh magus is drunk with her fledging powers and eager to put them to a test at any first opportunity.
Races: Magi are most common among races that are both civilized and warlike. Schools of evocation are mostly filled with humans, with an occasional half-elf, elf, or a gnome, all of which prefer subtler ways but are not above raw power when it's needed. Halflings are usually to pacifistic for this class, and half-orcs are simply too stupid to make effective magi. Among more exotic races, tieflings are lured by the might the evocation represents but rarely manage to finish the training and githyanki are actually famed for their magi, many of who are more accomplished than the human ones.
Other Classes: Magi get along with members of classes that can be found in the army, those being fighters, knights, psyckers, and clerics. They might cooperate with members of all other classes as well, and there is no class that clearly has a conflicting philosophy with a magus, because no adventuring character is of peaceful and pacifistic sort.
Starting Age: Complex (same as cleric, druid, monk, and others).
Starting Gold: 5d4 x 10 (average 125 gp)
Game Rule Information
Magi have the following game statistics.
- Abilities: Intelligence is very important ability for a magus because it improves her spellcasting. A good Dexterity and Constitution are also important, as magi are often found on battlefields. As always, Wisdom is a good choice for any magus who wants to have strong Will save.
- Alignment: Any.
- Hit Points per Level: 1d4 + Con modifier.
- Hit points are maximized at 1st character level.
- Skill Points per Level: 4 + Int modifier.
- Skill points are multiplied by 4 at 1st character level.
Class Skills: The magus's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Spot (Wis).
Class Table
Base Fort Ref Will
Level Attack Bonus Save Save Save Special .
1st +0 +0 +0 +2 Recurring spell, scribe
scroll, spellcasting
2nd +1 +0 +0 +3 Staff of power
3rd +1 +1 +1 +3 -
4th +2 +1 +1 +4 Least evocation
5th +2 +1 +1 +4 -
6th +3 +2 +2 +5 Havoc
7th +3 +2 +2 +5 -
8th +4 +2 +2 +6 Lesser Evocation
9th +4 +3 +3 +6 -
10th +5 +3 +3 +7 Havoc
11th +5 +3 +3 +7 -
12th +6/+1 +4 +4 +8 Greater Evocation
13th +6/+1 +4 +4 +8 -
14th +7/+2 +4 +4 +9 Havoc
15th +7/+2 +5 +5 +9 -
16th +8/+3 +5 +5 +10 Supreme Evocation
17th +8/+3 +5 +5 +10 -
18th +9/+4 +6 +6 +11 Havoc
19th +9/+4 +6 +6 +11 -
20th +10/+5 +6 +6 +12 Ultimate Evocation
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the magus.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A magus is proficient with 5 simple weapons of her choice, but with no armor or shields.
Recurring Spell (Ex): At 1st level, a magus learns special technique of saving magical energy if it's not discharged properly. Whenever a magus fails to cast a 0 or 1st level class spell (for example, due to arcane spell failure or failed concentration check), spell's slot is not consumed as if the spell was cast as an invocation.
Scribe Scroll: At 1st level, a magus gains Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat.
Spellcasting: A magus casts arcane spells which are drawn from two spell lists: the magus's list and the wizard’s list. See "class and cross class spells", below, for details. To learn or cast a spell, a magus must have a Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell's level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a magus's spell is 10 + half the magus's level + the magus’s Intelligence modifier. Like other spellcasters, a magus can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day (excluding invocations, see below). The magus doesn't receives bonus spells per day for having high Intelligence score. Like cleric or sorcerer, a magus may know a number of spells from each spell level equal to 3 + her Intelligence modifier. It is possible for her to learn spells above that limit, but the costs are high. Magus's spell slots regenerate after good night's sleep. If she did not have such a luxury, she cannot fill emptied slots until she rests. A magus need not prepare her spells in advance. She can cast any spell she knows at any time, assuming she has not yet used up her spells per day for that level. She does not have to decide ahead of time which spells she’ll cast. Magus's caster level is equal to her class level.
Magus Spell List
0-Level Acid Splash, Detect Magic, Ray of Frost, Read Magic, Resistance.
1st Level Burning Hands, Endure Elements, Entropic Shield, Floating Disk, Hold Portal, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Produce Flame, Shield, Shield of Faith, Shocking Grasp.
2nd Level Acid Arrow, Chill Metal, Fire Trap, Flame Arrow, Flame Blade, Flaming Sphere, Heat Metal, Protection from Arrows, Pyrotechnics, Resist Energy, Scorching Ray, Shatter, Sound Burst, Spiritual Weapon.
3rd Level Call Lightning, Dispel Magic, Explosive Runes, Fireball, Glyph of Warding, Lightning Bolt, Protection from Energy, Searing Light, Quench, Sleet Storm.
4th Level Fire Shield, Fire Trap, Flame Strike, Ice Storm, Lesser Globe of Invulnerability, Repel Vermin, Resilient Sphere, Shout, Stoneskin, Wall of Fire, Wall of Ice.
5th Level Call Lightning Storm, Cone of Cold, Death Ward, Interposing Hand, Spell Immunity, Spell Resistance, Telekinesis, Wall of Force.
6th Level Acid Fog, Antimagic Field, Chain Lightning, Disintegrate, Forceful Hand, Freezing Sphere, Globe of Invulnerability, Greater Dispel Magic, Greater Glyph of Warding, Guards and Wards, Repulsion.
7th Level Antilife Shell, Blade Barrier, Delayed Blast Fireball, Forcecage, Grasping Hand, Mage's Sword, Polar Ray, Prismatic Spray, Reverse Gravity, Spell Turning, Sunbeam, Sympathetic Vibration.
Spells per day
Spells per day Invocations Level 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 C.L. known 1st 3 1 - - - - - - 1 1 2nd 3 2 - - - - - - 1 2 3rd 4 3 - - - - - - 2 2 4th 4 3 1 - - - - - 2 2 5th 4 3 2 - - - - - 3 3 6th 4 4 3 - - - - - 3 3 7th 4 4 3 1 - - - - 4 3 8th 4 4 3 2 - - - - 4 4 9th 4 4 4 3 - - - - 5 4 10th 4 4 4 3 1 - - - 5 4 11th 4 4 4 3 2 - - - 6 5 12th 4 4 4 4 3 - - - 6 5 13th 4 4 4 4 3 1 - - 7 5 14th 4 4 4 4 3 2 - - 7 6 15th 4 4 4 4 4 3 - - 8 6 16th 4 4 4 4 4 3 1 - 8 6 17th 4 4 4 4 4 3 2 - 9 7 18th 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 - 9 7 19th 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 1 10 7 20th 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 2 10 8
Learning New Spells: A magus can learn new spells, but doing so is very expensive and time consuming. Learning a spell requires expenditure of gold equal to spell's level squared x 50 (or 25 gp in case of 0-level spells) for special rare materials and guild fees. In addition, the magus must either have a teacher (another arcane spellcaster who knows the spell - that person need not to be a magus though), a scroll with the spell (which is destroyed in the process of learning it), or spend a number of days equal to spell's level squared on developing the spell from scratch (6 hours for a 0-level spell). If a magus attempts to learn a spell and she already reached her limit of spells known for that level, multiply gold cost by 10. A newly created 1st level magus knows a number of 1st level spells equal to her Int bonus and the same number of 0-level spells.
Class and Cross-Class Spells: Spells from the magus lists are class spells for her, while spells from the wizard list that are not found on the magus list are cross-class spells. A magus has a hard time casting cross-class spells because she is not trained to manipulate the energies those spells are made of. As a result, a magus suffers -2 penalty on Concentration and Spellcraft checks related to cross-class spells and has 20% arcane spell failure when casting them (if she also wears armor without a proper ability, add percentiles together). None of the cross-class spells are on the invocation list.
Invocations: A magus can cast some spells as invocations. That means that she doesn't need to spend a slot of an appropriate level to cast that spell. Any spell cast as invocation uses reduced caster level, as shown on table: spells per day. A magus can cast invocations even if she has no slots left. At 1st level, a magus learns how to cast one 0-level spell from the list below as invocation (provided she knows that spell). At 2nd level and every 3 levels thereafter, a magus learns how to cast another spell from the list below as invocation. A magus can choose a spell she doesn't yet know, but she is unable to cast it until she learns it. She cannot, however, choose a spell she can't yet cast because her class level is too low to access that level of spells. List of spells a magus can cast as invocations:
- 0-level - Acid Splash, Ray of Frost, Read Magic, Resistance
- 1st level - Burning Hands, Floating Disk, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Shocking Grasp
- 2nd level - Acid Arrow, Chill Metal, Flame Arrow, Flame Blade, Flaming Sphere, Heat Metal, Pyrotechnics, Scorching Ray, Sound Burst
- 3rd level - Call Lightning, Dispel Magic, Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Searing Light, Quench
- 4th level - Flame Strike, Ice Storm, Repel Vermin, Shout, Stoneskin, Wall of Fire
- 5th level - Call Lightning Storm, Cone of Cold, Interposing Hand, Telekinesis.
Staff
Staff of Power (Su): A 2nd level magus can craft a masterwork quarterstaff attuned to her. To do this, magus must spend some gold (depending on staff’s type) in materials and work 8 hours a day for one week. A magus can only have one staff at a time. If a magus comes into possession of another magus's staff and wants to switch, it takes her one week to attune to it and requires no expenditure of money (she is free to do other things during that time). The old staff becomes normal item with no magical properties. If the staff is broken, the magus is stunned for 1d4 rounds. As magus progresses in levels, the staff becomes more durable and attains magical powers.
Staff Material
Material Hardness Hit Points Break DC Cost . Adamantine 20 40 30 4000 gp Cold iron 10 30 15 1000 gp Darkwood 5 10 8 100 gp Mithral 15 30 25 2500 gp Silver 8 15 12 500 gp
Staffs can be enchanted like other masterwork weapons (only by the owner), and also can be enchanted with any armor enchantments granting energy resistance. The enchantments are bestowed upon the magus only, if other creature holds the staff, nothing happens.
Staff Statistics
Magus Staff’s Hit Break Level Hardness Points DC Special 2 +0 +0 +0 Substitute 3-4 +1 +2 +1 Light 5-6 +2 +4 +2 Touch 7-8 +3 +6 +3 - 9-10 +4 +8 +4 Duel staff 11-12 +5 +10 +5 Battle staff 13-14 +6 +12 +6 Spell resistance 15-16 +7 +14 +7 - 17-18 +8 +16 +8 Call staff 19-20 +9 +20 +9 Power staff
- Substitute (Ex): A magus can perform spells’ somatic components while holding her staff firmly in one hand. This does not let her ignore arcane spell failure.
- Light (Sp): At 3rd level, at magus's command, the staff can shed light as torch. Activating or deactivating this ability is a swift action.
- Touch (Su): At 5th level, a magus can deliver touch attacks with her staff.
- Duel Staff (Su): At 9th level, staff grants the magus a +2 bonus on saving throws against spells.
- Battle Staff (Su): At 11th level, staff allows the magus to ignore arcane spell failure of light armors.
- Spell Resistance (Ex): At 13th level, a staff gains spell resistance equal to the 10 + magus's level.
- Call Staff (Sp): At 17th level, a magus can teleport staff to her hand, if the staff is within 1 mile. This ability uses standard action but does not provoke attack of opportunity.
- Power Staff (Su): At 19th level, the staff can no longer by destroyed by nonmagical means, such as immersion in lava or sundering.
Evocation
A 4th level, a magus begins to understand underlying principles of magical energy and how to apply them to her arcane powers. She chooses one of the following evocations and gains related abilities: blaze, entropy, frost, lightning, luck, noise, and weave. Each evocation grants an ability at 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter. Once a magus chooses her focus, she can change it by performing ritual of transition. Performing a ritual takes 8 hours and requires gems worth 200 gp for every ability granted by evocation that will be swapped. A magus cannot mix and match abilities from different evocations, she always focuses in only one of them.
- Evocation of the Blaze: Evocation of the blaze is the art of flames and heat. Magi focusing in it burn things to the ground and command fire like none other.
- Least Blaze Evocation - Burn (Ex): Each class spell with fire descriptor that deals damage to a target sets it on fire. Creatures on fire take 1 point of fire damage for a number of rounds equal to the spell's level. Those magical flames cannot be quenched by normal means short of total immersion in water, but can be dispelled normally.
- Lesser Blaze Evocation - Flash (Ex): Whenever a creature fails its saving throw against magus's class spell with fire descriptor, it is blinded for 1 round in addition to the spell's effects.
- Greater Blaze Evocation - Inflame (Ex): Whenever the magus casts a class spell that deals damage, she can change all or half of the damage to fire damage. Spell so changed gains fire descriptor in addition to any descriptors it might already have.
- Supreme Blaze Evocation - Scorch (Ex): A magus increases the damage cap of all class spells with fire descriptor by one dice (if the spell uses d6 damage/2 levels progression) or two dice (if the spell uses d6 damage/level progression). Spells with atypical or no progression are not affected.
- Ultimate Blaze Evocation - Incinerate (Ex): A magus adds +2 to DC of every class spell with fire descriptor.
- Evocation of the Entropy: Evocation of the entropy is the art of dissolution and degradation. Magi favoring entropy create potent acids that turn most things into pools of toxic sludge.
- Least Entropy Evocation - Bubbles (Ex): Whenever a creature fails its saving throw against magus's class spell with acid descriptor, the spell also deals damage to one most exposed item, as if the target rolled a natural one. If the target rolls a natural one, two items are affected.
- Lesser Entropy Evocation - Fumes (Ex): Whenever a creature fails its saving throw against magus's class spell with acid descriptor, it is nauseated for 1 round in addition to the spell's effects.
- Greater Entropy Evocation - Sludge (Ex): Whenever the magus casts a class spell that deals damage, she can change all or half of the damage to acid damage. Spell so changed gains acid descriptor in addition to any descriptors it might already have.
- Supreme Entropy Evocation - Dissolve (Ex): Whenever a creature fails its saving throw against magus's class spell with acid descriptor, it suffers 1 point of Constitution damage in addition to the spell's effects.
- Ultimate Entropy Evocation - Oblivion (Ex): A magus adds +2 to DC of every class spell with acid descriptor.
- Evocation of the Frost: Evocation of the frost is the art of freezing things to halt and sucking all heat from them, leaving only icy corpses behind. Magi favoring frost create ice and waves of utter cold only few creatures will be able to withstand. (thanks Azreil Nightshade)
- Least Frost Evocation - Icicles (Ex): Whenever a creature fails its saving throw against magus's class spell with cold descriptor, it gains 5 lbs per spell level of ice on its body. Each move action spent on removing the ice frees the creature from 10 lbs. of ice. Ice is non-magical and lasts 10 minutes (twice as long in cold areas, half as long in hot ones) and is cumulative between spells.
- Lesser Frost Evocation - Stiff (Ex): Whenever a creature fails its saving throw against magus's class spell with cold descriptor, it suffers 1 point of Dexterity damage in addition to the spell's effects.
- Greater Frost Evocation - Chill (Ex): Whenever the magus casts a class spell that deals damage, she can change all or half of the damage to cold damage. Spell so changed gains cold descriptor in addition to any descriptors it might already have.
- Supreme Frost Evocation - Frostbite (Ex): Each class spell with cold descriptor that deals damage to a target makes it frostbitten for 1 round per spell level. Frostbite allows the recipent of the spell to only make one standard or one move action a turn.
- Ultimate Frost Evocation - Polar Night (Ex): A magus adds +2 to DC of every class spell with cold descriptor.
- Evocation of the Lightning: Evocation of the lightning is the art of controlling electricity. Magi of the Lightning can strike feared bolts of energy to strike enemies down and make things explode.
- Least Lightning Evocation - Jolt (Ex): Each class spell with electricity descriptor that deals damage, also deals +1 damage if the target wears light metal armor, +3 damage for a medium metal armor, +5 damage for a heavy metal armor, +2 damage for a metal shield, and +1 damage for a metal weapon. All bonus damage is culumative.
- Lesser Lightning Evocation - Spasm (Ex): Whenever a creature fails its saving throw against magus's class spell with electricity descriptor, it suffers 1 point of Strength damage in addition to the spell's effects.
- Greater Lightning Evocation - Shock (Ex): Whenever the magus casts a class spell that deals damage, she can change all or half of the damage to electricity damage. Spell so changed gains electricity descriptor in addition to any descriptors it might already have.
- Supreme Lightning Evocation - Arc (Ex): Whenever a creature is affected (regardless of the result of a saving throw) by magus's spell with electricity descriptor that deals damage, that spell also affects all other creatures within 10 feet of the original creature, but deals only half the damage.
- Ultimate Lightning Evocation - Thunderbolt (Ex): A magus adds +2 to DC of every class spell with electricity descriptor.
- Evocation of Luck: Evocation of Luck is the art of chance and opportunity, and control over wondrous power that ensure success of actions. Magi focusing in it make things easier to do and outcomes more favorable.
- Least Luck Evocation - Fortune of Mortals (Ex): Any ally under effects of magus's abjuration spell also gains +1 luck bonus to saving throws and AC.
- Lesser Luck Evocation - Shield (Ex): Any ally under effects of magus's abjuration spell also gains +4 luck bonus to saving throws and AC against evocation effects. This bonus stacks with least luck invocation.
- Greater Luck Evocation - Fortune of Heroes (Ex): Any ally under effects of magus's abjuration spell also gains +1 luck bonus to saving throws, AC, ability and skill checks, attack and damage rolls, and initiative check. This bonus stacks with least and lesser luck invocation.
- Supreme Luck Evocation - Longshot (Ex): Whenever a magus casts an abjuration spell on her ally, that ally gains one longshot charge. Before making any skill or ability check, an ally can expend one longshot charge to gain +10 luck bonus on that check. A creature can have any number of longshot charges at one time, but each dissipates after 10 minutes or until expended.
- Ultimate Luck Evocation - Fortune of Gods (Ex): Any ally under effects of magus's abjuration spell also gains Spell Resistance 7 + magus's caster level.
- Evocation of the Noise: Evocation of the noise is the art of sound, pure and powerful. Magi focusing in it tear things apart with sonic waves. Those crude displays of power have little to do with melodic harmonies of bardic music.
- Least Noise Evocation - Boom (Ex): Whenever a creature fails its saving throw against magus's class spell with sonic descriptor, it is deafened for 1 minute in addition to the spell's effects.
- Lesser Noise Evocation - Frequency (Ex): Whenever a living creature fails its saving throw against magus's class spell with sonic descriptor, it falls prone in addition to the spell's effects.
- Greater Noise Evocation - Vibrations (Ex): Whenever the magus casts a class spell that deals damage, she can change all or half of the damage to sonic damage. Spell so changed gains sonic descriptor in addition to any descriptors it might already have.
- Supreme Noise Evocation - Resonance (Ex): Each class spell with sonic descriptor that deals damage to a target makes it resonating for 1 round per spell level. Resonance has the same effects as shaken condition, but is sonic effect instead a fear, mind-affecting one.
- Ultimate Noise Evocation - Shockwave (Ex): A magus adds +2 to DC of every class spell with sonic descriptor.
- Evocation of the Weave: This evocation is the mastery of dispeling and negating enemy magic. Magi specilizing in it sunder spells and magical effects so their own magic encounters little to no opposition.
- Least Weave Evocation - Spell Study (Ex): The magus gains +10 competence bonus on all Spellcraft checks to identify spell being cast by another creature.
- Lesser Weave Evocation - Masterful Counterspell (Ex): Whenever a magus attempts to counter a spell, she may use, instead of the same spell, any spell of the same or higher level.
- Greater Weave Evocation - Nullify (Ex): Whenever a creature fails its saving throw against magus's class spell, it is targeted by a dispel magic in addition to the spell's effects. This dispel effect can only negate one spell or magic item, unlike normal use of targeted dispel.
- Supreme Weave Evocation - Instinctive Counterspell (Ex): Once per round, a magus may attempt a counterspell outside her turn. If she decides to do so, she only has single move action on her next turn (plus any actions from outside sources).
- Ultimate Weave Evocation - Arcane Shift (Ex): Whenever a magus dispels an active spell with duration longer than instaneous, the spell may instead be transferred to the magus for 1 minute or until its duration expires (whichever happens first). After 1 minute the spell is dispelled with no check necessary.
Havoc (Ex): At 6th level, and every 4 levels afterwards, the magus chooses one destructive class spell and applies an effect from the list below to that spell whenever she casts it. At different levels she can apply different abilities to the same spell to become absolute master of it.
- Evoke Devastation: Chosen spell deals 1 more point of damage per spell level. If the spell affects multiple targets only one target of magus's choice is affected. If it deals damage more than once, only first iteration of damage is affected.
- Evoke Doom: Chosen spell has +2 DC.
- Evoke Malice: Chosen spell always deals no less than 20% of its full damage if it meets energy resistance or is saved against.
- Evoke Persistance: Chosen spell still exists in antimagic areas, but with -2 caster levels.
- Evoke Recusance: Displling effects suffer -10 penalty when attempting to dispel the chosen spell.
- Evoke Ruin: A magus gains +10 bonus when trying to overcome Spell Resistance with the chosen spell.
- Evoke Torment: Chosen spell ignores 20 points of targets' energy resistance.
Epic Magus
Epic magus a figure of unimaginable power, playing with flames and electrical sparks as child plays with wooden sticks. Even ancient monsters immune to many spells will pause when they spot this arcane engine of destruction.
Magus Level Special . 21st Epic staff 22nd Havoc 23rd - 24th Bonus feat 25th - 26th Havoc 27th - 28th Bonus feat 29th - 30th Havoc
Epic Staff: Special abilities granted to a staff continue to grow as the level of its master increases beyond 20th. For every 2 levels, hardness and break DC increases by +1 and hit points by +2.
Havoc: At 22nd level and every 4 levels thereafter, an epic magus masters one additional spell.
Bonus Feat: An epic magus gains one of the following bonus epic feats at 24th level and every 4 levels thereafter (28th, 32nd, 36th, and so on): Automatic Quicken Spell, Automatic Silent Spell, Automatic Still Spell, Combat Casting, Craft Epic Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Epic Staff, Enhance Spell, Epic Spell Focus, Epic Spell Penetration, Epic Spellcasting, Familiar Spell, Ignore Material Components, Improved Combat Casting, Improved Heighten Spell, Improved Metamagic, Improved Spell Capacity, Intensify Spell, Multspell, Permanent Emanation, Scribe Epic Scroll, Spell Focus, Spell Knowledge, Spell Mastery, Spell Penetration, Spell Stowaway, Spell Opportunity, Spontaneous Spell, Tenacious Magic.