Blog Archives
Ranked Ability Score Checks, for Pathfinder 1e and Starfinder
It’s pretty common in Pathfinder 1st edition and Starfinder for GMs to occasionally ask for a raw ability score check (1d20+ability modifier), such as making a Strength check to muscle open a door, or making an Intelligence check to see if a character remembers some tidbit of information not related to a specific Knowledge skill. The games explicitly support this idea, but of course your ability score modifiers do not increase at anything like the speed of your skill bonuses, and since skills include ability score modifiers most GMs automatically scale the DCs of ability checks as a game increases in level to keep pace with skill DCs. This *isn’t* supported by the game rules, but it is perhaps inevitable.
Interestingly both 5e and Pathfinder 2e have a different DC/bonus progression that keeps raw ability checks competitive throughout a character’s career, on-par with attack and skill/proficiency checks. Some GMs and players have even called this out as one of the great advantages of those systems over older d20 game engines, and PF1 and Starfinder specifically.
However, if a GM and players want to have raw ability checks scale increase at roughly the same pace as skill bonuses, that’s easily arranged as a house rule. You just need to distinguish between a character’s ability score modifier (which adds to things like attack rolls, damage, skill checks, AC bonuses, and so on), and the characters ability CHECK, which is what you add to your d20 roll when making a “Strength Check” or “Intelligence Check.”
Note that this will allow characters to manage superhuman levels of ability score checks by mid-level, with heroes bursting stone doors off their hinges, holding their breath for minutes at a time, running marathons, and other events that are often ascribed to heroes in real-world ancient mythology.
Ranked Ability Score Checks
In addition to the actual modifier for your six ability scores, you need to track your ranks in each ability. Your ranks add to your modifier when making a raw ability check for that ability. Your ranks do not affect anything else you normally add your ability modifier (having +1 rank to Dexterity Modifier Checks does not increase your ranged attack, armor class, Reflex saves, or Dexterity-based skill checks, for example). You cannot have more ranks in an ability score check than your character level.
Select one ability score as your focus ability at 1st level. (In Starfinder, this must be your key ability score). You gain ranks equal to your level for that score’s ability checks, and an additional +2 focus bonus to ability checks for that ability. You gain three additional ranks at each level you may assign to any other ability scores.
If you gain a feat that grants you a bonus to all uses of one or more skill checks, it also grants you a +1 to one ability score used for one of the skills increased by the feat. For example, if you take Skill Focus: Swimming, you also gain a +1 to Strength checks. If you take Animal Affinity, you gain +1 to either Charisma ability checks (as Handle Animal is a Charisma-based skill), or Dexterity ability checks (as Ride si a Dexterity-based skill).
Feats that only grant a bonus to some uses of a skill check (such as endurance, which applies to some, but not all, Swim checks), you gain no special bonus.
Putting It All Together
So, let’s do an example.
Sashette the Seer is a 1st level human oracle. Her ability scores are Str 8, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 12 Wis 17, Cha 10. She decides to make Wisdom her focus ability, so she automatically gains one rank in it. For her remaining 3 ability check ranks, she puts one each in Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma. So, her abilities, modifiers, check ranks and check bonuses look like this:
Sashette the Seer, 1st level
Str 8 (-1 modifier; +0 check ranks, -1 total ability check)
Dex 14 (+2 modifier; +1 check rank, +3 total ability check)
Con 13 (+1 modifier; +1 check rans, +2 total ability check)
Int 12 (+1 modifier; +0 check ranks, +1 total ability check)
Wis 17 (+3 modifier; +1 check ranks, +2 focus, +6 total ability check)
Cha 10 (+0 modifier; +1 check ranks, +1 total ability check)
At 2nd level, she automatically gains 1 rank in Wisdom (her ability focus), and continues to put 1 rank each in Dex, Con, and Cha.
Sashette the Seer, 2nd level
Str 8 (-1 modifier; +0 check ranks, -1 total ability check)
Dex 14 (+2 modifier; +2 check rank, +4 total ability check)
Con 13 (+1 modifier; +2 check rans, +3 total ability check)
Int 12 (+1 modifier; +0 check ranks, +1 total ability check)
Wis 17 (+3 modifier; +2 check ranks, +2 focus, +7 total ability check)
Cha 10 (+0 modifier; +2 check ranks, +2 total ability check)
At 3rd level, she decides she’s not as concerned about Constitution ability checks, but really wants to be better at Intelligence ability checks. Also, she takes the Skill Focus (Perception) feat, which gives her a +1 bonus to her Wisdom ability check total.
Sashette the Seer, 3rd level
Str 8 (-1 modifier; +0 check ranks, -1 total ability check)
Dex 14 (+2 modifier; +3 check rank, +5 total ability check)
Con 13 (+1 modifier; +2 check rans, +3 total ability check)
Int 12 (+1 modifier; +1 check ranks, +2 total ability check)
Wis 17 (+3 modifier; +3 check ranks, +2 focus, +1 feat bonus, +9 total ability check)
Cha 10 (+0 modifier; +3 check ranks, +3 total ability check)
For many groups, the additional bookkeeping won’t be worth the utility of a GM being able to use one set of scaling DCs for ability and skill checks. For others, a set of rules that mean a 10th level raging barbarian actually has a decent chance to smash in doors and lift portcullises will be a welcome addition. And some groups may even choose to replace the skill system entirely, allowing characters to be trained in any skill that is a class skill or they have a feat to grant a bonus to, and then using ranked ability checks in place of all skill checks.
Patreon
I have a Patreon. It helps me carve out the time needed to create these blog posts, and is a great way to let me know what kind of content you enjoy. If you’d like to see more Pathfinder 1st ed/Starfinder content (or more rules for other game systems, fiction, game industry essays, game design articles, worldbuilding tips, whatever!), try joining for just a few bucks and month and letting me know!
“Celestial Heroes,” An Adventure Sketch (With Notes for 4 Game Systems)
I’ve wanted to do a full write-up for this adventure for years, but never had time. So, here’s a sketch of the general idea.
Players their PCs are all very junior angels–celestial outsiders who mostly sort through prayer requests to see what to pass up to higher ranks of the divine bureaucracy, but who also get an occasional flash of excitement by being summoned by the faithful to aid in a fight. The players should give their characters names and personalities, but not worry about game stats yet.
The PCs are spending time sorting through prayers, and notice that a specific priest keeps praying for guidance about the impending destruction of the Astral plane (the “Catastralphe”). There’s nothing in their sorting guidelines about that topic, so protocol is to take it to a one-rank-higher angel, who assures them there is not such thing, and to file the prayer requests under “mortal paranoia.”
Then, on their way back to their duties, the PCs are summoned… by that selfsame priest! She’s 1st level, so she can only keep them for a limited about of time.
If you are running this as a 5e game, the priest has used a scroll with a 1st-level variant of conjure animals, and gets the PCs as minor celestials instead, but can’t give them verbal orders and she can only concentrate on it for up to 1 minute. If this is a PF 2 game, the PCs are summoned with a summon lessor servitor spell and can be around for up to a minute if the priest is able to maintain concentration. If PF 1, it’s summon monster I to call up celestial animals for 1 round. If Starfinder, it’s summon creature at a 1st-level spell, again for 1 round.
Rather than just sticking with the creatures those spells normally summon, allow each PC to select a creature of the same power level to represent their summoned form, AND let them pick anything vaguely appropriate for their appearance. If the rules would let them be an eagle, but they want to be a winged housecat, let their imagination loose. Note to the players that they are celestial spirits in a temporal mortal body regardless. Death has no consequence for them here.
The priest doesn’t speak any of the languages they do, so they have to guess what she wants them to do — but they are summoned while she and four other people (clearly adventures — a fighting type in heavy armor, an arcane type, a sneak, and some kind of sage) are fighting for their lives (all already badly damaged) against what appear to be negative wind elementals (just use air element stats and have them do cold or shadow damage) in an ancient stone chamber that clearly depicts the Astral Plane being rended to destruction, and all the planes of the multiverse being flung apart (no longer able to connect to each other).
With a bit of luck the summoned celestial PCs can save the heroes (if not, just replace any that get killed in future encounters), and regardless of how the fight goes the PCs see that the ancient temple clearly has some real eldritch power connected to it, and the impending Catastralphe.
When their time is up, whether the priest and her adventuring party are safe or not, the PCs return to the angelic plane. They can take up the issue of whether the Catastralphe is real or not, but the celestial bureaucracy considers it to be much more likely that a set of junior angels misinterpreted what they saw than for there to be a true multiplanar threat the Angelic Host never heard of.
Later, the PCs get summoned again… but it’s clear that months have passed on the mortal plane, and the priest is now 3rd level, so she can use more powerful spells to summon more powerful allies. The PCs can maintain their appearance (or evolve it, perhaps from winged housecat to winged bobcat), get to choose new higher-level creatures for their ability scores. This time they are helping defend the priest and her adventuring allies who are being attacked at night, in an inn, by humanoid assassins who have no face, just a lamprylike fanged maws taking up the whole of the front of their heads. (Pick any CR-appropriate monsters and just give them new descriptions).
The priest is clearly surprised to see the PCs, suggesting they are not what she thought she was summoning, but she is also happy for their help.
Upon their return to the Angelic Host, if the PCs bring it up the event, they are directed to the Conjuration Control Department, where they discover there’s at least one other angel that believes in the Catastralphe, a planar traffic controller who is directing them to answer the priest’s summoning when she is showing to be near an important moment in her life.
The adventure goes on like this, with PCs working their way up through the ranks of the Celestial Bureaucracy, most angels not really believing in the interplanar threat, but grudgingly suggest the Pcs should look for specific clues when summoned. The GM should come up with a list of things — specific sigils, or eldritch currents, or the scent of the abyssal influence, so PCs can have investigating they can do when summoned. Meanwhile the priest continues to gain levels and summon the PCs with higher-and-higher level spells, months or years passing between the times they see her, and her quest is also clearly taking a toll on her. Some of her companions die, and are replaced. She loses and eye, from then on having an eyepatch when the PCs are summoned. At some point, she manages to learn their language, so she can speak to them when they arrive… but they can only go to her when she summons allies in a crucial moment in her life, so communication is always rushed during a desperate fight.
As the PCs gain influence among Angels, they are allowed to explore Forbiddings –places within the Heavens once kept by angels that fell and became devils. These encounters are to seek out lost lore on the Catastralphe, as their recurring encounters with cultists and supernatural entities on the Mortal Plane trying to kill the priest and her adventuring party suggest it might be real after all. However the Forbiddings are in the same heavenly reality as the PCs. While they use the same game stats as when they were last summoned for adventures in the Forbiddings, death there is permanent even for up-and-coming angels.
Eventually the combination of clues gained when summoned and when exploring the Forbiddings expose that the Catastralphe is real, and it is the eons-long plot of a fallen angel who wishes to rip the planes apart so it can become effectively a god of whatever bit of the multiverse it has access to after the Astral plane is destroyed. Once this revelation is in place, there are two more major encounters. First, the Fallen Angel can only be stopped with a weapon found in the most dangerous of Forbiddings, and that weapon can only be wielded by those who procure it, so the PCs must go get it. Second, the Fallen Angel’s ultimate base of operations is impossible for any celestial to enter without being summoned from within. So the PCs must wait for the priest to call them for aid one last time, and hope she does so in time for them to use their newly acquired relic weapon to stop the impending Catastralphe.
Obviously, this can be as quick as a 3-4 session mini campaign, or as long as a 1st-20th game, depending on how many encounters the GM decides to fill into this vague sketch of plot points. But I love the idea of Pcs being summon creatures (originally the idea was celestial badgers, back in 3.5 rules days), who have no fear of dying in most of their fights, but have to get anything they want done in the mortal realm done quickly, when summoned, while another fight is already going on. I also like the idea of players not having to make characters in any traditional sense, though it would be easy enough to let them pick special abilities as they “gained levels,” like being to reroll one attack roll per fight, or one saving throw, or teleport once, to represent their angelic nature growing stronger even as they hop from stat block to stat block as more and more powerful spells call them to battle.
Patreon
I have a Patreon. It helps me carve out the time needed to create these blog posts, and is a great way to let me know what kind of content you enjoy. If you’d like to see more adventure sketches, or Pathfinder 1st or 2nd edition, 5e, or Starfinder content (or more rules for other game systems, fiction, game industry essays, game design articles, worldbuilding tips, whatever!), try joining for just a few bucks and month and letting me know!
If you prefer, you can drop a cup of support in my Ko-Fi. It’s like buying me a cup of coffee, but more convenient!
New Magic Weapon Special Abilities for Pathfinder 1st ed
So, let’s more-than-triple the number of magic weapon special abilities costing a +1 bonus you can have in your 1st-edition Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
And it all starts with Cleave.
Well, not the feat Cleave (at least not exactly). But instead, the magic weapon special ability mighty cleaving. And, when referring to a combat feat magic special ability by name, this article italicizes the property, but does not capitalize it. In other words, the power attack magic special ability lets you use the Power Attack feat with your weapon. (Alternatively you could place “mighty” in front of everything and use the gerund form of any feat name, so the mighty power attacking special ability lets you use Power Attack with that weapon… but that feels awkward to me, so I’m not doing it. What’s your preference?)
Mighty cleaving requires you to have the Cleave feat, but it then does as much as Cleave does (give you one additional cleaving attack a round)… but not as much as Great Cleave does (the normal next step in the Cleave feat chain). The existence of the mighty cleaving special ability tells us there is a range of combat feats that gaining access to through a weapon is worth a +1 bonus equivalent magic weapon special ability — but that it’s not all combat feats. That means if we can figure out a set of rules for what combat feats are appropriate for use as magic special ability, we potentially add a vast number of new magic options a GM can use to create fun, interesting, useful, balanced magic weapons. It also opens up some martial options for character’s who can’t manage to take those feats in the same way metamagic rods opened up metamagic feats even for spellcasters who don’t take the feats.
(There are also the training special ability, that gives you a feat but you still need to meet its prerequisites to use it, and the sylvan scimitar that give you “use of the Cleave feat” along with some other abilities under specific circumstances, so magic weapons granting some combat feats is clearly within a special ability power range.)
So, let’s look at defining a combat feat magic weapon special ability.
Combat Feat
Price +1 bonus; Aura moderate transmutation; CL 8th; Weight —
DESCRIPTION
This special ability grants the use of one specific combat feat, selected when the weapon is created. What feat can be selected and how it can be used are subject to the Rules, outlined below.
CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS
Craft Magic Arms and Armor; Spells tactical adaptation; Cost +1 bonus
The Rules
The feat selected cannot be one that adds to all attacks or all damage (such as Weapon Focus or Weapon Specialization), or a flat bonus to AC (such as Dodge), and it must be a Combat feat. Its prerequisites can include no more than a single ability score, which cannot require greater than a 13 in the ability, no more than a single feat (which must also be a combat feat), no more than a single rank of a single skill, and nor more than a +1 base attack bonus minimum. It cannot include any other prerequisite (such as not having levels in a class with specific class features, or being of a specific species).
Thus, you could have improved grapple as a +1 bonus melee weapon magic weapon special ability, but not Greater Grapple (which both has two feat prerequisites and requires a +6 base attack bonus).
The feat benefit granted by a combat feat special ability only applies when you are wielding the weapon it is part of. If the feat modifies an attack, it only modifies attacks made with the weapon it is applied to. For example, a short sword with agile maneuvers only gives you Agile Maneuvers when you are actually wielding the short sword. Also, can only be applied to a weapon that can be used in the activity modified or allowed by the feat. For example, you can’t put the power attack combat feat special ability on a longbow.
While you can use the feat in a combat feat special ability without meeting the prerequisites to take the feat, you still have to meet any conditions listed in its benefit. For example, if you have a +1 distracting charge lance, you still only gain the benefit if an ally that also has the feat charges and hits a foe. This obviously suggests that combat feat magic weapon special ability built on teamwork feats are likely to be most popular in sets of multiple weapons to pass out to multiple users.
I did not have time to go through EVERY official combat feat to see which ones fit these rules, but here’ a hyperlinked list up through “F” anyway. 🙂
Agile Maneuvers, Aquadynamic Focus, Aquatic Combatant, Ascetic Style, Beast Hunter, Befuddling Initiative, Blind-Fight, Blinding Flash, Bloody Mess, Bludgeoner, Bodyguard, Call Out, Caster’s Champion, Cavalry Formation, Charging Hurler, Choir of Blades, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Combat Stamina, Combat Vigor, Coordinated Capture, Coordinated Defense, Coordinated Distraction, Coordinated Maneuvers, Coordinated Shot, Cornugon Stun, Covering Fire, Cracking the Shell, Cudgeler Style, Dazzling Display, Deadly Aim, Death from Above, Deceitful Incompetence, Defensive Combat Training, Demonic Style, Desperate Battler, Destructive Persuasion, Dirty Fighting, Disarm Partner, Distance Thrower, Distracting Charge, Diva Style, Double Slice, Empty Quiver Style, Enforcer, Eroding Strikes, Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Far Shot, Feint Partner, Flanking Foil, Focused Discipline, Following Step, Footslasher, Fox Insight, Fox Style, Frightening Ambush, Furious Focus, Fury’s Fall, Gang Up, Giant-Killer Stance,
Revised Magister for PF1 (Part 10)
In part 10 of our series looking at a Revised Magister class (for PF1), we’re still working on new magister feats. These are all based off class features of combat classes, conceived and modified to make sense for a well-educated spellcaster.
Mystic Tactician
You’ve learned the ancient battlefield tactics of the Mage Knights.
Prerequisites: Magister 5, 5 ranks Knowledge (History)
Benefit: You gain one of the following teamwork feats for which you meet the prerequisites: Allied Spellcaster, Bonded Mind, Casting Conduit, Choral Support, Collective Recollection, Combat Medic, Conduit Casting, Cooperative Counterspelling, Coordinated Blast, Electric Discharge, Elemental Admixture, Familiar Link, Group Deliver Touch Spells, Group Shared Spells, Improved Spell Sharing, Metamagical Synergy, Mystical Reverberation, Piecing Gambit, Secret Language, Share Spells, Shielded Caster, Special Delivery, Spell Bluff, Spell Chain, Spell Synergy, Take the Hit.
As a standard action, you can grant this feat to all allies within 30 feet who can see and hear you. Allies retain the use of this bonus feat for 3 rounds plus 1 round for every two magister levels you possess. Allies do not need to meet the prerequisites of these bonus feats. You can use this ability once per day at 1st level, plus one additional time per day at 5th level and for every 5 levels thereafter. If you gain one of the teamwork feats listed (which you may do with magister bonus feats, if you wish), you can also grant them to allies by expending one use of this ability.
[As a design note I adore this idea… but I’m not 100% convinced it makes the most sense as a feat. A feat that grants another feat and does something else is weird, at minimum. In a final version, this might become a magister talent or even a mystic bond. But that’s how the writing process goes–get stuff WRITTEN first, develop those concepts later.]
Spellslinger
You have trained extensively in ranged spell combat.
Prerequisites: Magister 3, 5 spells known that require tanged attacks or ranged touch attacks.
Benefit: You gain a pool of grit, which is determined as using your magister level -2 as your gunslinger level, and using your primary spellcasting ability modifier. Rather than regain grit when you make critical blows or kill foes with firearms, you do so when you perform such deeds with spells using ranged attack rolls. You also gain the gunslinger’s dodge deed.
As you gain levels, you gain additional deeds (which can only be used with spells with ranged attacks, rather than firearms). If your magister level is 5 or greater, you also gain the utility shot deed. At 9th you gain startling shot, at 11th targeting, at 13th bleeding wound, at 15th menacing shot, at 17th evasive, and at 19th gunslinger’s luck.
Touch of Corruption
No matter the magic power source you draw from, you have taken a particular focus on the necromantic aspects of it.
Prerequisites: Magister 3, 5 spells known from the necromancy school.
Benefit: You gain the touch of corruption class feature of the antipaladin, using your magister level -1 as your antipaladin level. For every 6 magister levels you have, you also gain one of the antipaladin cruelties available to antipaladins at 3rd level, though you can never add more than one cruelty to a single attack.
Touch of Greater Corruption
Your necromantic powers grow.
Prerequisites: Magister 9, 9 spells known from the necromancy school.
Benefit: For every 6 magister levels you have, you gain one of the antipaladin cruelties available to antipaladins at 6th level, though you can never add more than one cruelty to a single attack.
Want More Professional Pathfinder 1st Edition?!
Hey folks! We’re not done with the Magister just yet — there are new and revised mystic talents and magister feats yet to come… but what do you want to see AFTER that?
I know there’s less-and-less material being produced for Pathfinder 1st edition by people who worked on the game as Paizo developers. If you want to encourage me to keep creating new options for this rule system, please consider joining my Patreon (or buying a cup work of support at my Ko-Fi) and letting me know!
HEY, WHILE I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION!
I’m working with novelist and veteran game design Darrin Drader to bring a new edition of his Reign of Discordia sci-fi setting to 5e and the White Star rpg. As is the standard these days we have a Kickstarter campaign running at the moment, and would really appreciate you taking look, telling your friends, and maybe backing it!
Revised Magister for PF1 (Part 9)
Okay, moving on for now from mystic bonds for our Revised Magister class (for PF1), let’s take a look at some new magister feats. I strongly suspect I’d rework the entire magister feat dynamic in a final revised commercial version of this class, so all of these end up being mystic talents and instead of alternating between mystic talents and magister feat, the magister gets a mystic talent at every odd level (and one of them is “Bonus Feat,” like with so many class talent systems in Pf1), but that’s more of an overhaul than I want to get into for a simple update.
We’ll start with things inspired by the alchemist class. (No, no mutagens. Ever.)
Alchemical Talent
You have learned to create extracts.
Prerequisites: Brew Potions, magister 3, 5 or more arcane spells known, 3 ranks Craft (alchemy).
Benefit: You can create extracts and identify potions as described in the alchemy class feature of the alchemist (this does not allow you to make bonds — see Explosive Talent, or to make mutagens). Rather than gain a new formula list or separate extracts per day, you can expand a spell slot to create an extract from a spell known of that level or lower that targets one or more creatures or objects and does not have a target of “personal.” You also gain a competence bonus equal to half your magister level on Craft (alchemy) checks to create alchemical items.
Special: Once you have taken this feat, you can take the Extra Discovery feat without meeting its prerequisites, and may do so using magister bonus feats. You cannot take a discovery that grants or modifies an alchemist ability you do not possess (such as bombs or mutagens). Additionally, you can forgo a magister bonus feat to gain the swift alchemy alchemist class features (using your magister level as your alchemist level).
Explosive Talent
You have learned to make things go “booooom.”
Prerequisites: Magister 3, 5 or more arcane spells known, 3 ranks Craft (alchemy)
Benefit: You can make bombs. This functions as the alchemist class feature, except as follows. Your bomb damage and save DC is calculated as if your alchemist level was your magister level -2. You do not have a limited number of bombs per day, but to create a bomb you must expend a magister spell slot. This must be a spell slot with a spell level no less than 1 per 3 dice of damage your bomb does (minimum 1st-level spell slot).
Special: Once you have taken this feat, you can take the Extra Discovery and Throw Anything feats without meeting their prerequisites, and may do so using magister bonus feats. You cannot take a discovery that grants or modifies an alchemist ability you do not possess (such as extracts or mutagens). Additionally, you can forgo a magister bonus feat to gain any one of the following alchemist class features (using your magister level as your alchemist level): poison resistance, poison use, swift alchemy, swift poisoning).
Greater Alchemical Talent
You can make more powerful extracts
Prerequisites: Alchemical Talent, Brew Potions, magister 10, 9 or more arcane spells known, 10 ranks Craft (alchemy).
Benefit: You can now use the extract ability from your Alchemical Talent feat to turn spells known with a target of “personal” into extracts.
Want More Professional Pathfinder 1st Edition?!
Hey folks! We’re not done with the Magister just yet — there are new and revised mystic talents and magister feats yet to come… but what do you want to see AFTER that?
I know there’s less-and-less material being produced for Pathfinder 1st edition by people who worked on the game as Paizo developers. If you want to encourage me to keep creating new options for this rule system, please consider joining my Patreon (or buying a cup work of support at my Ko-Fi) and letting me know!
HEY, WHILE I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION!
I’m working with novelist and veteran game design Darrin Drader to bring a new edition of his Reign of Discordia sci-fi setting to 5e and the White Star rpg. As is the standard these days we have a Kickstarter campaign running at the moment, and would really appreciate you taking look, telling your friends, and maybe backing it!
Revised Magister for PF1 (Part 8)
Okay, moving on for now from mystic bonds for our Revised Magister class (for PF1), let’s take a look at some new mystic talents. I’d add even more in a final revised professional project, but for now this seems like a goodly number to show where my head is at.
We’ll do both some talents and advanced talents, for magister’s younger and older. 🙂
Mystic Talents: As a magister gains experience, she learns a number of talents that assist her in manipulating spells and other forms of magic. At 3rd level, and again at 7th, a magister gains one mystic talent. A magister cannot select an individual talent more than once. Talents marked with an asterisk add effects to a magister’s spellcasting ability. Only one of these talents can be applied to an individual spell and the decision must be made before the spell is cast.
Fain Casting (Ex): The magister can take the ready action to cast a spell. Rather than define a single condition to trigger her ready, she can select two (such as “As soon as a foe comes in range, or a member of our part takes damage.”) If either condition is met, she can cast an available spell she selects at the moment of casting (as long as it has a casting time of 1 standard action or less). Once she has cast one readied spell, she can no longer cast a spell in response to her other ready trigger, unless she readies again in a future round.
Spell Fuel (Ex): When casting a spell with a casting time of 1 standard action or less, the magister can drain the magic from a potion in her possession (it need not be in-hand, but cannot be in an extradimensional space such as a handy haversack or bag of holding) rather than expend a spell slot for the spell. The potion must be of a spell with a spell level of equal or greater level than the spell she casts, and she casts the spell with a caster level equal to the lower of her own caster level or the potion’s caster level.
Spindle Dance (Sp): The magister can summon an invisible, mindless, shapeless force to carry one rod, staff, or wand for her. This functions as unseen servant, except it cannot travel beyond her space, automatically travels with her, it can carry only a single object, and if the object is a rod, staff, or wand, the magister is considered to be wielding it, and can activate and use it as if it was in her hand (though she cannot make melee attacks with it as a weapon, but can make melee attacks for spells and abilities granted by the object). This is treated as a spell with a spell level equal to the highest-level magister spell she can cast.
Advanced Mystic Talents: At 11th, 15th, and 20th level, a magister learns further talents to assist her in manipulating spells and other forms of magic. She may gain one of the abilities described in the “Mystic Talents” entry or, if she prefers, one of the abilities described below. Advanced mystic talents follow the same rules as mystic talents.
Favored Target (Ex): The magister selects one favored enemy per 5 class levels, as the ranger class feature. She cannot select the same enemy more than once. This functions as the ranger ability, but the bonus to attack rolls and damage only applies to attacks and damage from spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities. Additionally, favored enemies take a -1 penalty to saving throws against the magister’s spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities. These bonuses do not increase as she selects additional favored targets, they are always the base bonuses which she simply gets to apply to more and more enemies.
Shatter Arcana (Ex): The magister has learned to shatter the mystic matrix of a high-level spell slot into multiple lower-level spell slots. As a full-round action, the magister can expend a magister spell slot to regain low spell slots of lower level. The magister takes the spell level of the slot to be split, subtracts 2, then divides the remaining spell levels as she wishes to restore missing spell slots of lower level. For example, a magister could expend a 5th level spell slot to restore 3 spell levels (5 -2) of lower-level spell slots she has expended. She could restore one 3rd-level slot, one 2nd-level and one 1st-level, or three 1st-level spells. She cannot use this to gain more than her normal maximum number of spells per spell level, only to restore spell slots she has already expended.
Want More Professional Pathfinder 1st Edition?!
Hey folks! We’re not done with the Magister just yet — there are new and revised mystic talents and magister feats yet to come… but what do you want to see AFTER that?
I know there’s less-and-less material being produced for Pathfinder 1st edition by people who worked on the game as Paizo developers. If you want to encourage me to keep creating new options for this rule system, please consider joining my Patreon (or buying a cup work of support at my Ko-Fi) and letting me know!
HEY, WHILE I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION!
I’m working with novelist and veteran game design Darrin Drader to bring a new edition of his Reign of Discordia sci-fi setting to 5e and the White Star rpg. As is the standard these days we have a Kickstarter campaign running at the moment, and would really appreciate you taking look, telling your friends, and maybe backing it!
Revised Magister for PF1 (Part 7)
We start the week continuing with more new stuff for our Revised Magister class, for PF1. Having done the core mystic bond rules and updated all the original ones, today we continue to add new mystic bonds, delving into more of the hybrid classes that came out after the original magister was written.
Spirit Bond (divine) – The magister forms a bond with the spirits of the world. The magister gains a spirit from the shaman spirit class feature, The spells granted by that spirit are added to her primary spell list. At 1st level she gains that spirit’s spirit ability, at 8th level she gains its greater spirit ability, and at 16th level she gains its true spirit ability. She can select to gain a hex from her spirit instead of magister bonus feats at 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th level. The magister treats her magister level as her shaman level for all abilities gained through the spirit bond.
Special: An occult magister who selects the spiritualist spell list as a primary or secondary spell list may select the spirit bond.
Kenning Bond (arcane) – The magister turns to ancient poetry and sagas for secret ways to access and manipulate magic. Once per day, the magister can cast any spell on her primary spell list (see Choosing Spells for more information on magister spell lists) as if it were one of her magister spells known, expending a magister spell slot of the same spell level to cast the desired spell. Casting a spell with the kenning bond always has a minimum casting time of 1 full round, regardless of the casting time of the spell. At 6th level she can use the kenning bond to cast a spell from her secondary spell list. At 11th level, she can use this ability twice per day, and at 17th level, she can use it three times per day.
Additionally, the magister becomes a master of many different types of lore. At 1st level, and every 2 levels thereafter, she selects one Knowledge skill she can always take 10 on checks with, even if danger and distractions would normally prevent her from doing so. At 7th level, once per day, she can take 20 on any of the Knowledge skills she has selected with this ability as a standard action, instead of spending the normal time taking 20 requires. The magister can use this ability to take 20 on a Knowledge skill check twice per day at 13th level and three times per day 19th level.
Special: A divine magister who worships a god that grants the Knowledge of Magic domain can select the kenning bond.
Want More Professional Pathfinder 1st Edition?!
Hey folks! We’re not done with the Magister just yet — there are new and revised mystic talents and magister feats yet to come… but what do you want to see AFTER that?
I know there’s less-and-less material being produced for Pathfinder 1st edition by people who worked on the game as Paizo developers. If you want to encourage me to keep creating new options for this rule system, please consider joining my Patreon (or buying a cup work of support at my Ko-Fi) and letting me know!
HEY, WHILE I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION!
I’m working with novelist and veteran game design Darrin Drader to bring a new edition of his Reign of Discordia sci-fi setting to 5e and the White Star rpg. As is the standard these days we have a Kickstarter campaign running at the moment, and would really appreciate you taking look, telling your friends, and maybe backing it!
Owen K.C. Stephens 