Universal
Wizard Lessons
Hello everyone, and welcome to another great edition of Best in Class, where we bring you new and exciting class features and archetypes each and every week. This week I’ve decided to talk a little bit about the wizard, since it’s one of my favorite classes. We will, however, be taking a brief break from the usual fare of providing excellent new archetypes to address what I feel to be a grave (okay, well at least a minor) grievance. That is, of course, that at least so far as I can tell, there are no focused schools for the universalist school of wizardry. This strikes me as particularly tragic for two reasons: firstly, the universalist should be the broadest and most well-developed school of wizardry, so it makes logical sense that they would have the most focused schools; and secondly, and infinitely more importantly, the universalist abilities just aren’t all that impressive. I think that maybe we can do a little bit better, so let’s get started with some new focused schools.
Master of the Arcane Bond
Masters of the arcane bond focus less on the study of magical spells and more on the development of their arcane bonds. The intense study required to pursue this path precludes the wizard from focusing on any single school of magic.
Associated School: Universalist.
Replacement Powers: The following abilities replace the hand of the apprentice and metamagic mastery abilities offered by the universalist school.
Enhanced Bond (Ex): Your focus on your arcane bond means that you treat your wizard level as two levels higher than normal for determining the benefits received by your familiar. If you choose the bonded item application of the arcane bond class feature, you instead gain an additional use of that ability, allowing you to cast two spells without preparing them ahead of time.
Dual Bond (Su): Beginning at 8th level, your focus on arcane bonds allows you to gain a second arcane bond. You treat your wizard level as though it were 7 levels lower for determining the benefits of that arcane bond (for example, the second arcane bond of a 10th-level wizard would grant benefits as though he were a 3rd-level wizard, and he would only be able to cast an extra spell that he would have been able to cast at 3rd-level if he had a bonded item as his second arcane bond).
Spell-Marked
Spell-marked wizards are constantly under the influence of one of a select handful of spells useful to all wizards. Studying this discipline requires a great deal of focus on a wide variety of spells, and does not permit for the wizard to focus on a single school of magic.
Associated School: Universalist.
Replacement Powers: The following powers replace the hand of the apprentice and metamagic mastery abilities offered by the universalist school.
Minor Spell Mark (Sp): At 1st level, you must choose one of the following three spells: detect magic, read magic, or resistance. From that moment onward, you are constantly affected by the chosen spell exactly as though it had been made permanent by the permanency spell. When you select this spell, the magic words written in your spellbook are magically transcribed around your eyes in a tight ring set into your irises. Once chosen, the spell cannot be changed, except by spending a 1 full day in meditation and expending ritual components worth 100 gp. At the completion of this ritual, you may choose another of these three spells to replace the previously chosen spell.
Major Spell Mark (Sp): Starting at 8th level, you must choose one of the following four spells: comprehend languages, detect secret doors, endure elements, enlarge person, or reduce person. From that point onward, you are constantly affected by that spell exactly as though it had been made permanent by the permanency spell. When you select this spell, the magic words written in your spellbook are magically transcribed around your eyes in a tight ring set into your irises. Once chosen, the spell cannot be changed, except by spending a 1 full day in meditation and expending ritual components worth 100 gp. At the completion of this ritual, you may choose another of these three spells to replace the previously chosen spell. Additionally, you reduce the gp cost to make any spell permanent with the permanency spell by 1,000 gp.
Wishmaker
Wishmakers focus their studies on the nature of one of arcane magic’s most powerful spells, and derive many of that spell’s secrets to fuel their arcane powers. Because this powerful magic is of a universal nature, it is essential that the wizard spread his focus evenly across all schools of magic.
Associated School: Universalist.
Replacement Powers: The following abilities replace the hand of the apprentice and metamagic mastery abilities offered by the universalist school.
Universal Cantrips: You begin play knowing all 0th-level spells from all spellcasting classes and may prepare your cantrips from among all spell schools.
Universal spells: Beginning at 8th level, and every even numbered level thereafter, you may add one spell of any level lower than the highest-level sorcerer/wizard spell you can cast to your spellbook, choosing from any spell list which offers at least 6 levels of spellcasting. If the chosen spell appears on multiple spell lists, use the highest spell level. These spells must be prepared and cast exactly as though they were sorcerer/wizard spells.