Wizard - Mage

Description:  Mages are wizards who do not follow the dedicated and 
specialized magical studies that characterize other wizard classes.  They follow 
wherever their interests lead them, and by and large they see magic as a tool to 
use rather than an art form to be placed upon a pedestal and 'reserved for special 
occasions'.  Mages study not only true magic but also a variety of 
pseudomystical skills and arcane lore of various sorts, as well as ancient 
historical and archaeological information.  Often disdained by other wizards as 
charlatans, dabblers, dilettantes, and second-rate "magicians", Mages include 
training in prestidigitation, mesmerism, fortune telling, and showy sleight of 
hand tricks as part of their arsenal.  Such mundane tricks are often amplified 
with real magical skill that is highly refined in some ways, but though it includes 
broad-based study does not entail the dedicated focus and expertise of other 
wizards.  The arts of the Mage blur the line between true magic and stage magic, 
and even a trained observer will have a difficult time determining when a 
Magician is putting on a show and when he or she is invoking real magic.

Requirements:  Mages use the Wizard advancement table and have four-sided 
hit dice.  Mages use a Wizard's THAC0 and saving throw tables.  Mages begin 
with 1 weapon and 4 non-weapon proficiencies, and they gain one weapon and 
two non-weapon slots every six levels of experience.  Magicians may be of any 
alignment and may be humans, aasimar, elves, half-elves, or tieflings.  A Mage 
must have scores of at least 9 in Intelligence, Dexterity, and Charisma.

Weapon Proficiencies:  Bow (short, short composite), crossbow (hand, light), 
dart, firearm (blunderbuss, caviler), knife (any), sling (any), staff, sword (short, 
rapier, sabre), whip

Magical Philosophy:  Mages really have no magical philosophy as such, save 
that they enjoy the study of magic and have a degree of talent for it.  They are 
pragmatic in their magic use, being willing to tap into power sources of all types 
and to dabble in almost any magical theory or skill.  They do not restrict 
themselves from learning in particular areas due to professional distaste, though 
obviously individual Mages will have moral or ethical compulsions about the 
use of magic in certain situations or to cause certain effects.  Such compunctions 
are most often evident in the areas of Necromancy and (to a lesser extent) 
Conjuration.  Though they are willing and able to do almost anything through 
the use of magic, Mages do highly prize knowledge, especially regarding the 
theory and practice of magic in general, and their greatest talents lie in these 
areas.  Thus, Mages have a Primary FOS in the Realm of Lore (and Universal 
Magic).  Unlike other mages, they are able to learn and cast any spell (but see 
Special Hindrances below).

Special Benefits:  As noted above, Mages enjoy the ability to learn and cast any 
wizard spell, and each time they advance a level, they can also attempt to relearn 
a spell that they had previously failed to understand.  Any bonus spells a Mage 
gains due to high Intelligence can be drawn from any Realm of Magic.  In 
addition to this universal spell-casting ability, Mages gain the following special 
abilities:

Arcane Lore:  Mages are sensitive and knowledgeable about magical and 
pseudomagical matters.  They are highly skilled in the study of fields within and 
related to the practice of magic, gaining a +1 bonus to all Wizard non-weapon 
proficiencies.  In addition, they gain the Rogue abilities to Detect Illusion, 
Detect Magic, and Read Languages at base levels with all appropriate modifiers.  
A Mage receives no discretionary points, but each ability improves by 5 for 
every level of experience.  Mages are also very cautious and thoughtful in 
approaching magical situations, especially in the context of exploring ruins and 
uncovering lost lore, and they gain a +1 bonus to saving throws vs. divinations, 
illusions, magical runes and symbols, curses of all types, and all sorts of magical 
traps.

Fortune Telling:  Mages are highly skilled in all forms of magical and mundane 
divination and have a limited ability to foresee the future.  If a Mage possess a 
miscellaneous magical item with divination powers (e.g., crystal ball, medallion 
of ESP), they can use its power, combined with their own powers of divination, 
to predict the future in a manner similar to an augury spell once per day per five 
levels of experience (rounding up).  In addition, even if such a magical item is 
not at hand, the Mage may attempt an augury-type divination by making use of a 
non-magical crystal ball, deck of cards, or similar divinatory instrument.  This 
may be done only once per day, and it requires 1d10 rounds to complete.  At 9th 
level, he or she can also attempt to contact other plane once per week, as his or 
her arcane researches enable him or her to learn the names and means of 
communion with extraplanar powers.  In addition to the above powers, Mages of 
5th level or above can use any divinatory magical item, regardless of normal 
class restrictions.

Improvisational Magic:  Because of their wide-ranging skill in a variety of 
magical disciplines, Mages often 'blur the lines' of magical practice.  They are 
particularly fond of using 'Metamagic' spells (i.e., spells that alter other spells, 
such as extension, far reaching, and dilation).  In fact, they have an ability to 
improvise with their spellcasting, altering it with great fluidity by applying 
subtle magical alterations to spells in the process of casting them.  They can 
likewise dispel magic, use a cantrip, or perform any other spell of Universal 
Magic through the use of Improvisational Magic.

For every level of experience, a Mage gains one 'level' of Improvisational Magic 
ability.  A Mage can cast any Universal Magic spell he or she knows with this 
ability, and each has a 'cost' of one 'level' per level of the spell.  

Example:  A 5th level Mage would have five 'levels' of Improvisational Magic 
available and could use them to cast read magic, cantrip, and dispel magic (two 
1st and one 3rd level spell, for a total of 5 spell levels).

Using Improvisational Magic does not require spellcasting as such, being 
created by an act of will and sometimes a gesture or phrase on the part of the 
Mage.  It does, however, require concentration and can be disrupted by suffering 
damage during a round.  The time required to perform Improvisational Magic is 
the same as if the spell in question was being cast normally.  Note that it is 
possible to cast a normal spell and use Improvisational Magic in the same round, 
but only when using this ability to create a 'Metamagic' spell to modify the spell 
being cast normally (e.g., casting a magic missile spell from memory, and using 
Improvisational Magic to boost its range with a far reaching I spell).  If this is 
done, the casting time for the two effects should be added together; if the Mage 
is struck during this 'combined casting time', both effects will be disrupted.

Stage Magic:  Mages are very talented at performing all forms of magical and 
pseudomagical trickery, gaining a +1 bonus to their Prestidigitation and Somatic 
Concealment proficiencies for every three levels of experience (rounding up).  
In addition, a Mage is so skilled at concealing his or her spellcasting that a 
successful Somatic Concealment check can completely disguise all evidence of 
spellcasting, to the extent that only a creature with Observation proficiency or 
similar vigilance will notice his or her spellcasting.

Alternatively, a Mage can attempt to disguise true spellcasting as simple sleight 
of hand or a stage trick, causing it to appear as "obvious fakery" to all observers 
by making a successful Prestidigitation check.  Highly suspicious or 
exceptionally vigilant creatures (including those with the Observation 
proficiency) may attempt a save vs. spell to see through the deception, but 
otherwise a successful check enables a Mage to use his or her subtle arts of 
distraction and manual dexterity to disguise all traces of spell use.  Detect magic 
or a similar spell will of course reveal the use of magical energy by a Mage.

Mages can also act convincingly as though preparing to cast a powerful 
destructive spell by simply using a mix of dramatic and threatening arcane 
phrases and gestures, tossing 'mystical powders' about, and using other such 
grandiose theatrics.  After one round of such paramystical gesticulation, which 
can be directed at up to one target per level of the Mage with at least Low (5) 
Intelligence, all 'intended victims' must make a successful morale check or flee 
in terror for 2d4 rounds, unless immune or resistant to fear.

Finally, in the process of learning their stage magic and sleight of hand, Mages 
learn a smattering of roguish skills for use in performances and all manner of 
adventuring tasks.  They gain the Pick Pockets and Escape Bonds thieving skills 
at base levels with all appropriate modifiers but with no discretionary points, 
adding 5 to their chance of success each time they advance a level.

Special Hindrances:  A Mage's greatest hindrance is that he or she is, as noted 
above, a dabbler in the arts of magic.  As a result, when attempting to learn a 
new spell a Mage uses his or her normal Intelligence-based Chance to Know 
Spell only for spells from the Realms of Lore and Universal Magic.  When 
attempting to learn any other spell, a Mage has only a 10% chance per level of 
experience, divided by the level of the spell (rounding down) to successfully 
understand it.  

Example:  A 5th level Mage attempting to learn hold undead (a 3rd level spell) 
would have a base chance of 50% (5th level x 10%), divided by 3 (the level of 
the spell), for a net chance of 16% (16 2/3, rounded down).

Regardless of a Mage's level, the final chance to learn any spell can never 
exceed his or her Intelligence-based Chance to Know Spell.  In addition to this 
penalty to learn spells outside of the Realms of Lore and Universal Magic, these 
spells take effect at only half the Mage's true level (rounding up) due to his or 
her relative lack of expertise in their use.

Besides their relative lack of skill in learning and casting most types of spells, 
Mages have great difficulty researching spells or magical items due to their lack 
of formal training in such areas.  Spell research should be treated as if the 
desired spell was one level higher than the actual level (unless it is a spell of 
Lore or Universal Magic), and any magical research (including researching the 
formula for enchanting a magical item) always takes 50% longer than normal.

Bonus Proficiencies:  Prestidigitation, Somatic Concealment
Required Proficiencies:  Reading/Writing, Spellcraft
Preferred Proficiencies:  Acting, Alchemy, Astrology, Bookbinding, 
Calligraphy, Crowd Working, Dancing, Disguise, Divining, Hypnosis, Jest, 
Juggling, Language (any), Numeracy, Numerology, Papermaking, Poetry, 
Seamstress/Tailor, Tumbling, Ventriloquism, Voice Mimicry

***DISCLAIMER*** 

As with all postings by me of classes or races, it should be noted that portions 
of the information contained herein were inspired by or derived from 
information in published works of TSR, Inc., and may contain references to 
those works, quotations or passages of text (especially in the area of 'Character 
Description', where applicable sections from TSR works were often carried over 
more or less intact into my campaign world), or particular powers or abilities 
invented by TSR staff writers.  No relationship with TSR, Inc., is to be implied 
by this use, nor is any attempt being made to solicit profit or remuneration of 
any kind.  I have read the TSR Online Policy document, and have tried to 
accommodate the stipulations contained therein. 

In instances where I have lifted an essentially complete class or race without 
significant alteration, I have not included these in my postings but instead 
have inserted a reference to the appropriate D&D sourcebook for those curious 
in including it in their campaign.  Only variations that include a significant 
component of original work, alteration, or reformulation (including the 
compositing elements from various TSR sources into new combinations) of have 
been included in this set of postings. 


<a href="mail to:tjaden@u.washington.edu">Jason Eric Nelson </a> < tjaden@u.washington.edu >