Inspired by sirpercival's
Sublime Rogue.
SUBLIME WARMAGE
"A wizard?! You're lucky I don't take offense easy. A wizard would tell you just knowing how to cast spells is all there is to magic. Pfah! That's like saying a swordsman is a guy who knows how to swing his arms. Not like those old beards would understand though, most of 'em never saw action in their life."- Arad Rothran, warmage
Warmages are those who specialise in the direct combat applications of magic. Eschewing the underlying theories of casting in favour of refining each movement and syllable to maximum efficiency, the end result resembles less a ritual and more a martial art (and indeed, traditional martial arts are part of warmage training). While their spell repertoire is no match for that of a wizard or even a sorcerer, their power and speed are unmatched.
MAKING A WARMAGE As a warmage, your strength increases over the course of a combat; the more attacks and spells you unleash, the more maneuvers you gain access to, both for normal use and for powering your class features (
haste is a popular spell among warmages for this reason). Unlike a wizard or sorcerer, you need not fear running out of spells completely; from as early as lv1 you can rely on cantrips for your basic attacks rather than weapons, which can deal respectable damage when combined with manevuers or your Warmage Edge class feature. At high levels you can expend multiple maneuvers per round to increase the power of your spells to incredible heights, making you capable of fighting entire armies at once.
Abilities: The most important ability scores to a warmage are Charisma and Intelligence, in that order, since they determine his spellcasting. Like all characters a warmage can benefit from a high Constitution, which helps support his poor Fortitude save. Finally, increasing Strength or Dexterity improves the accuracy of a warmage's melee and ranged touch spells respectively, if he chooses to focus on them.
Races: Humans make up the majority of warmages. Hobgoblin society produces the second-largest number, as hobgoblins are expected to approach any lifestyle with a warrior's discipline. While spellcasters with similar leanings exist in elf communities, most elves either commit themselves fully to study (becoming wizards) or use their magic to supplement their martial skill (becoming duskblades).
Alignment: Any.
Starting Gold: As fighter.
Starting Age: As fighter.
Class Skills (4+Int): Balance, Concentration, Craft, Knowledge (arcana), Martial Lore, Profession, Spellcraft, Tumble, Use Magic Device
Hit Dice: d8
Level | Base
Attack Bonus | Fort
Save | Ref
Save | Will
Save |
Special | Maneuvers
Known | Stances
Known |
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +2 | +2 | Maneuvers, Spells, Warmage edge, Warmage shield | 4 | 1 |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +3 | +3 | Combat Reflexes, Refined casting | 4 | 1 |
| 3rd | +2 | +1 | +3 | +3 | Bonus feat | 4 | 1 |
| 4th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Warmage penetration | 5 | 2 |
| 5th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Battlecasting (1/round), Barrage | 5 | 2 |
| 6th | +4 | +2 | +5 | +5 | Bonus feat | 5 | 2 |
| 7th | +5 | +2 | +5 | +5 | Hybrid casting | 5 | 2 |
| 8th | +6/+1 | +2 | +6 | +6 | Warmage expansion | 6 | 2 |
| 9th | +6/+1 | +3 | +6 | +6 | Bonus feat | 6 | 2 |
| 10th | +7/+2 | +3 | +7 | +7 | Battlecasting (2/round), Sharpened spellpower | 6 | 3 |
| 11th | +8/+3 | +3 | +7 | +7 | Reflexive casting | 6 | 3 |
| 12th | +9/+4 | +4 | +8 | +8 | Bonus feat | 7 | 3 |
| 13th | +9/+4 | +4 | +8 | +8 | Warmage power | 7 | 3 |
| 14th | +10/+5 | +4 | +9 | +9 | Warmage protection | 7 | 3 |
| 15th | +11/+6/+1 | +5 | +9 | +9 | Battlecasting (3/round), Bonus feat | 7 | 3 |
| 16th | +12/+7/+2 | +5 | +10 | +10 | All-out casting | 8 | 4 |
| 17th | +12/+7/+2 | +5 | +10 | +10 | Warmage enhancement | 8 | 4 |
| 18th | +13/+8/+3 | +6 | +11 | +11 | Bonus feat | 8 | 4 |
| 19th | +14/+9/+4 | +6 | +11 | +11 | Adept counterspelling | 8 | 4 |
| 20th | +15/+10/+5 | +6 | +12 | +12 | Battlecasting (4/round), Metamagic mastery | 9 | 4 |
1 2 3 4 5 6
— — — — — —
2 — — — — —
3 — — — — —
4 — — — — —
5 2 — — — —
6 3 — — — —
6 4 — — — —
6 5 2 — — —
6 6 3 — — —
6 6 4 — — —
6 6 5 2 — —
6 6 6 3 — —
6 6 6 4 — —
6 6 6 5 2 —
6 6 6 6 3 —
6 6 6 6 4 —
6 6 6 6 5 2
6 6 6 6 6 3
6 6 6 6 6 4
6 6 6 6 6 5
| 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
4 — — — — — —
5 2 — — — — —
5 3 — — — — —
6 3 — — — — —
6 4 2 — — — —
7 4 3 — — — —
7 5 3 — — — —
8 5 4 2 — — —
8 5 4 3 — — —
9 5 5 3 — — —
9 5 5 4 2 — —
9 5 5 4 3 — —
9 5 5 5 3 — —
9 5 5 5 4 2 —
9 5 5 5 4 3 —
9 5 5 5 5 3 —
9 5 5 5 5 4 2
9 5 5 5 5 4 3
9 5 5 5 5 5 3
9 5 5 5 5 5 4
|
: A warmage is proficient with simple weapons and light armor, but not with shields. Note that casting spells in medium or heavy armor causes him to risk Arcane Spell Failure.
Maneuvers: Select three disciplines from the following list at 1st level:
Abjurant Champion,
Crescent Moon,
Escalating Chain,
North Wind,
Solaris Arcanum,
Untamed Essence; the warmage draws his maneuvers known from these disciplines. A warmage begins an encounter with one random maneuver readied, and is granted one random maneuver whenever he casts a spell or makes an attack (do not count attacks made as part of spells, just the spell itself; if he is Two Weapon Fighting then off-hand attacks do not count for this purpose). In addition, he may take a move action to grant himself a maneuver of his choice. The warmage's maximum number of maneuvers readied is equal to his maneuvers known. After using a maneuver it becomes unavailable for the rest of the encounter, but the warmage may take a standard action to refresh all his expended maneuvers, returning them to the random pool (after which they may be granted to him again).
Spells: A warmage casts spells as a sorcerer, using the progression above, but his bonus spells are based on Intelligence rather than Charisma, and applying a metamagic feat to his spells does not increase the casting time. He has an unlimited number of 0-level spell slots per day. His caster level for warmage spells is equal to his initiator level for warmage maneuvers. A warmage's spells do not have damage caps (eg. his
fireball could deal 11d6 damage at CL11). You may cast warmage spells in light armor without incurring Arcane Spell Failure.
Spellboost (Su): As a move action, you may expend a warmage maneuver to gain a bonus for 1 round based on the maneuver's level. You may use this ability multiple times per round, but cannot use the same boost more than 1/round.
- Warmage Edge: At 1st level you may use a spellboost to increase the power of your spells until the end of your turn. Any spell affected by this ability which dealt hit point damage deals +1d6 damage per level of the maneuver expended, which ignores energy resistance and immunity. If the spell restored hit points then this instead increases the number of hit points restored. This extra damage can apply to a single target only once per spell, even if the spell creates multiple attacks or lasts for multiple rounds.
- Warmage Shield: At 1st level you may use a spellboost to defend yourself against attacks. For 1 round you gain a shield bonus to AC equal to 3 +1 per level of the maneuver expended. This shield bonus applies even against incorporeal touch attacks.
- Warmage Penetration: At 4th level you may use a spellboost to increase the integrity of your spells until the end of your turn. Any spell affected by this ability increases its caster level by +2 per level of the maneuver expended for the purposes of overcoming Spell Resistance. In addition, if it dealt hit point damage or restored hit points the amount is increased by +1 per maneuver level, which ignores energy resistance and immunity.
- Warmage Expansion: At 8th level you may use a spellboost to increase the size of your area spells until the end of your turn. A sphere increases in radius by +5ft per maneuver level, a sphere centred on you by +10ft per maneuver level, a cone by +15ft per maneuver level, and a line by +30ft per maneuver level. In addition, if it dealt hit point damage or restored hit points the amount is increased by +1 per maneuver level, which ignores energy resistance and immunity.
- Warmage Power: At 13th level you may use a spellboost to flood your spells with energy until the end of your turn. Any spell affected by this ability increases its caster level by +1 per level of the maneuver expended. In addition, if it dealt hit point damage or restored hit points the amount is increased by +1 per maneuver level, which ignores energy resistance and immunity.
- Warmage Protection: At 14th level a warmage gains Spell Resistance equal to 11 + his class level, which he may raise or lower as a free action even when it isn't his turn. He may use a spellboost to increase his Spell Resistance by +1 per level of the maneuver expended for 1 round.
- Warmage Enhancement: At 17th level you may use a spellboost to enhance your spells until the end of your turn. Reduce the level increase of the metamagic feats applied to the spell by an amount equal to half the maneuver level (minimum +0). In addition, if it dealt hit point damage or restored hit points the amount is increased by +1 per maneuver level, which ignores energy resistance and immunity.
Combat Reflexes: At 2nd level a warmage gains Combat Reflexes as a bonus feat.
Refined Casting (Ex): At 2nd level a warmage adds 3 + half his initator level as a bonus on Concentration checks made to cast spells while on the defensive or while grappling or pinned. This stacks with the bonus provided by the Combat Casting feat, if he has it.
Bonus Feat: At every 3rd level, a warmage gains a bonus feat for which he meets the prerequisites; this feat can be Spell Focus or any feat which a wizard could select as a bonus feat (i.e. metamagic, item creation and reserve feats, and any feat with a Special entry indicating it can be taken by wizards). If he gains a reserve feat in this manner, then for determining its effects he is always treated as having a spell available of appropriate type and a level equal to half his initiator level.
Battlecasting: At 5th level, once per round a warmage can cast a spell with a casting time of "1 standard action" in place of an attack. Among other things, this allows him to cast a touch spell as an attack of opportunity. For every 5 levels thereafter, the number of times per round he can use this ability increases by 1.
Barrage (Su): At 5th level, you may cast a cantrip as a supernatural ability in place of an attack. As supernatural abilities they have no components, do not provoke attacks of opportunity and are not subject to Spell Resistance, but neither can they gain the benefit of warmage class features which improve spells (such as Warmage Edge). A use of this ability still counts as casting a spell for determining your granted maneuvers.
Hybrid Casting (Su): At 7th level, you may choose to use Spellboost as a swift action, rather than a move action.
Sharpened Spellpower (Su): At 10th level you gain a bonus on all damage rolls equal to your Cha modifier, and all of your attacks are considered magic weapons for overcoming damage reduction.
Reflexive Casting (Su): At 11th level, you may choose to use Spellboost as an immediate action, rather than a swift or move action.
All-Out Casting (Su): At 16th level, you may choose to use Spellboost as a free action once per round (even if it's not your turn), rather than an immediate or move action.
Adept Counterspelling (Su): At 19th level, a warmage may attempt to counterspell in place of an attack of opportunity, even if he has not readied an action to do so. This counts as one of his uses of Battlecasting per round.
Metamagic Mastery (Su): At 20th level, reduce the level increase of any metamagic feat by 1 when applied to a warmage spell (minimum +0).
WARMAGES IN THE WORLD"Okay Arad, geez..."-Berl Quickhands, rogue
A brief description of how your class is persevered in the world and how he interacts with the world.
Daily Life: Some general information about the typical day in the life of your class.
Notables: Lord Darius the Silver (NE human warmage 22) has recently been appointed to the ruling council of the Magocracy of Wyrnn, but his colleagues see his magic as thuggish and give him little respect.
Garkath (LN hobgoblin warmage 6/jade phoenix mage
ToB 2) is a recluse who teaches his techniques to anyone who can find his mountain home.
Organizations: Warmages rarely belong to wizardly associations, outside of those rare prodigies who can best a wizard at their own game. Apart from those who studied under a independent mentor, most warmages are trained and employed by the local military. Rivalries between these units and wizard colleges are common; wizards dislike how their teachings are "dumbed down" for warmage use, while warmages see the colleges' techniques as unpolished and crude.
NPC Reaction How other people react to warmages depends heavily on their surroundings. In lands where magic-users are rare or secretive, few NPCs will be able to tell the difference between a warmage and any other type of spellcaster. On the other hand, in places where magic heavily permeates society, warmages are seen more as specialised types of fighters.
