The Arch Mage –a d20 Character Concept
Background to the character as well as an Eclipse d20 build
Now to get something off my chest, mages have never really been my favourite class and I have never really enjoyed tossing around spells – not in Dungeons & Dragons anyway. But I have had this idea for a generalist-wizard with some supreme power, like a Psion who can buy more Power Points with feats I thought about this wizard with a ton of spell “points”, but one that still prepares her spells.
Background
“They say I am blessed, blessed with the Mind Eye – an enhanced ability to use magic and I have been doing so for a long, long time. Arcane words came to me faster and easier than speaking, and I was a prodigy. A prise child for the University Arcanum. And there I spent over ten years of my life. That was, until the deemed me too powerful, and a risk. A threat to the world, so they put me in magical bindings and locked me away so that I would not walk the world, would not destroy it. For one year I stayed there, and then, could take it no more, I turned within myself and called up all the magic there was in me and destroyed my prison. I was free, and the only though I had was revenge.”
Ok so she’s not a very nice girl. Oh well.
The Build: Level 1, 48 cp + 6 for first level feat = 54 cp.
Basics: 6 cp
d4 Hit Dice: 0 cp
High Will Save: 6 cp (+2)
Small group of simple weapons: 2 cp – limited to dagger, staff, dart {retro style like early 3rd edition I think}
Skill points: 2 cp
Magic:
I did calculations for psionics, magic, using Wizard or Sorcerer as Psion progressions and the difference in cost was not warranted. But this is an arcane mage, so lets take the Wizard Progression for 14 cp. Limitations Studies (has a spell book), and Components.
We add Spell Pool for 6 cp so that she is more versatile. Remember though she still prepares her spells at this stage.
We add Spell Mastery for 6 cp, allowing her to prepare Int Mod spells without her book.
For more ‘power’ we add Mana 6 cp, for Spell Levels only (2d6 total, average to 7 per feat)
That’s a total of 32 cp
Currently she would have a progression like this
9.5 spell levels in her pool (plus bonus for high intelligence not counted here – not the half level is a 0th level spell)
Maximum spell level 1
Meta Magic Theorems
We take Easy for 6 cp
Streamline for 6 cp – perhaps specialising it to apply a -2 levels to Easy instead of 2 x –1 levels to two theorems
Total level 1 cost is then: 6 cp (basics) 32 cp (magic) 12 cp (theorems) – total of 50cp leaving 4 cp over
Perhaps a corrupted version of Hysteria – only applies to mastered spells. for 4 cp total cost
corrupt that again to incur a chance of exhaustion equal to a flat 10% chance when used, but at no spell point cost (similar to the Wilder Psion) One could probably have the Caster Level bonus limited as well, say a maximum extra bonus equal to half your level (min 1).
Well at level 1 just slightly stronger than the normal mage. But could be fun to play a devious girl filled with hatred and consumed by her own power.
That gave me a wicked idea. Ones magic or perhaps even Hysteria above or further abilities can be corrupted to work off blood – her own or someone else’s. Hysteria fits nicely. The more you bleed or the more wounded creatures about you your magic gets stronger. Or perhaps, the more death about you the more your magic gets stronger. I might just investigate this further.
Would make a good bad guy/girl.