Class: Warmage
Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2023 4:39 am
So, I've seen that we haven't had many int-based casters, so I thought I'd throw out this suggestion for warmage! It isn't 1 for 1 from 3.5, but it takes existing concepts available to casters and builds a class that focuses on dealing heavy damage while also mitigating (at higher levels) risk to allies. Warmage technically isn't an infinite caster, but by weaving cantrips, a warmage can proc arcane flux more consistently, allowing the class to use more powerful spells without worrying about running out during PvE experiences. It has no access to utility spells, so the slack has to be picked up via multiclassing or via lore. To offset this, the warmage will be able to cast in armor and with shields as well! If this gets anywhere, it'll likely need tweaks and work, but hopefully, this is a solid foundation for a new class.
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Class Description:
Warmages are the undisputed magical lords of the battlefield, equipped with a greater array of destructive evocation and conjuration spells than any other class. Despite their great power, warmages suffer from a fundamental lack of versatility. They are unable to cast the breadth of utility spells -- protection, concealing, information gathering, transportation, and other magics -- that make wizards powerful. To some of the cultures of Faerûn, the ability to destroy in a variety of ways is (or was) too much to ignore. To other cultures, warmages serve as elite battlefield generals, espousing the old adage that the best defense is overwhelming offense.
The ancient Raumathari battlemages were some of the most fearsome examples of warmages in Faerûnian history. While many of the battlemages were wizards and sorcerers, a significant portion of was made up of warmages. The art of this forlorn empire may be mostly lost, but those few who still practice it are extremely dangerous. Raumathari battlemagic involves a mixture of both destructive arcane magic with swordplay, blending the two in terrifying destructive synergy. When the Bronze Battletower (the home of the powerful Raumathari battlemage Vostas) was under siege, her lover, a warmage by the name of Welbohn Khuul, defended it to his last breath. It is believed that Welbohn's spirit was absorbed into the tower after his death, leaving the warmage to haunt the tower forever. Locals whisper that the current resident, a renegade Wychlaran by the name of Iaokhna Nuchlev, is being driven mad by Welbohn Khuul's spirit. Khuul is trying to drive out the durthan in the hopes of bringing students back to the Bronze Battletower to study battlemagic. He can't drive her out himself, because she hides in a room that is shielded from him in his undead state.
While many Thayans look down on warmages as narrow-minded louts, they can't deny the usefulness of having a contingent of these casters in their armies. From the perspective of the Red Wizards, warmages make excellent subjects because they are powerful weapons but lack the magical protections to defend themselves against mental control. A band of politically neutral warmages has arisen in Thay in recent years under the leadership of Norano Reked. Calling itself Daarthos Koruna after a strange magical artifact the members discovered in the Sunrise Mountains, the band serves Thay as mercenaries for hire. The Daarthos Koruna are seven circlets that render their wearers undetectable by magical and psionic means. For the most part, the band clears out the ruins of the Sunrise Mountains and Delhumide, but they have been known to perform special missions for a number of zulkirs.
Warmagic traditions have developed among a number of other races and lands. A small number of warmages are found among the War Wizards of Cormyr, though the order generally looks askance at the narrow focus of these members. The Shoon Imperium kept an elite cadre of warmages known as the sihirbalak. Many members fled to the Heartlands and Inner Sea lands after the fall of the Shoon Empire in 450 DR. Among the sun, moon, star, and wild elves, warmages are uncommon but do exist. They were instrumental in a number of battles against demonic hoards before the fall of Myth Drannor.
Currently, several warmagic are academies scattered across Faerûn. A small academy, appropriately known as the School of Warmagic, has been open for the last three years in Halarahh, the capital city of Halruaa. Though boasting only 50 students, this academy doesn't have the negative reputation that warmage schools have in other parts of Faerûn. A small department at the Wizard College of Gheldaneth in Mulhorand teaches warmages, though only 75 are enrolled. Some of the other students in the college look down on the warmagic students, but the nation sees them as an important line of defense in its continued existence. Small private academies also exist in Waterdeep, Silverymoon, and Suzail.
- Warmages and Favored Souls by Eytan Bernstein
Requirements
Alignment restrictions: none
Class Features
Hit die: d8
Proficiencies: armor (light), weapons (simple), and shields
Skill points: 2 + int modifier ((4 + int modifier) * 4 at 1st level)
Class Skills: concentration, craft mastery, discipline, heal, leadership, listen, lore, ride, sail, spellcraft, spot
Unavailable feats: weapon specialization
Bonus Feats: arcane defense, empower spell, extend spell, greater spell penetration, maximize spell, quicken spell, silent spell, spell penetration, still spell
Bonus Epic Feats: arcane feats, epic spells, etc
Primary saving throw(s): will, fortitude
Base attack bonus: +3/4 level
Spellcasting: Arcane (spell failure from medium and heavy armor, and large and tower shields is a factor until Armored Caster, which allows a warmage to avoid ASF in medium armor and with large shields); warmages automatically know all spells when leveling up; intelligence-based requiring a base (hard) intelligence score of 10 + the spell's level to cast a spell; bonus spells are based on modified (Soft) intelligence and the intelligence modifier affects spell DCs.
Special: Warmages do not get inficasting from spell focus feats; they also do not get access to commands such as -scry and -yoink (if this is possible).
Features per level:
1st Arcane Flux; Warmage's Edge; Bonus Feat: Combat Casting
5th Cantrip Mastery; Warmage Apprentice
8th Armored Caster
10th Warmage Adept
14th Bonus Feat: Improved Combat Casting
15th Auto Quicken I
20th Auto Quicken II; Warmage Master; Spell Shaper
21st Epic Arcane Caster
23th Epic Arcane Bonus Feat
26th Epic Arcane Bonus Feat
28th Eschew Spell Components
29th Epic Arcane Bonus Feat
30th Auto Quicken III; Warmage's Pinnacle
Feature Descriptions:
Arcane Flux (Warmage)
Warmages have a 20% chance to proc Arcane Flux when casting cantrips.
Warmage's Edge
Warmages get a bonus to damage-dealing spells depending on their hard charisma modifier:
- Charisma 12 - 13 --> 2 damage
- Charisma 14 - 15 --> 4 damage
- Charisma 16 - 17 --> 6 damage
- Charisma 18 - 19 --> 8 damage
- Charisma 20+ --> 10 damage
Spells that deal multiple instances of damage or have an Area of Effect that persists are not affected by this feature. Damage shields are similarly not affected.
Cantrip Mastery
Cantrips are automatically empowered as if under the effect of the Empower Spell metamagic feat.
Armored Caster:
Warmage's do not suffer from arcane spell failure when wearing medium armor and large shields.
Path of the Warmage
A warmage's training increases the intensity of their spells. These manifest as increases to DC and other bonuses. These bonuses do not stack with each other; each level subsumes the previous.
Warmage Apprentice bonuses:
+1 to all DCs for warmage spells
+1 ab to all ranged touch attacks
+5% chance for Arcane Flux to proc (25% total)
Warmage Adept bonuses:
+1 to all DCs for warmage spells
+2 ab to all ranged touch attacks
+10% chance for Arcane Flux to proc (30% total)
Warmage Master bonuses:
+2 to all DCs for warmage spells
+3 to all ranged touch attacks
+15% chance for Arcane Flux to proc (35% total)
Spell Shaper:
The warmage is immune to all of their own AoE spells. Epic spells still affect the warmage normally (no hellball immunity).
Warmage's Pinnacle:
The warmage has reached the pinnacle of their power. This is the warmage's capstone, granting the player a number of powerful features.
+3 to all DCs for warmage spells (implosion excluded)
+5 to all ranged touch attacks
+30% chance for Arcane Flux to proc (50% total)
The damage bonus from Warmage's Edge doubles
AoE spells do not affect party members (epic spells excluded)
Level Base spells per day
0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
1st 5 3 - - - - - - - - -
2nd 6 4 - - - - - - - - -
3rd 6 5 - - - - - - - - -
4th 6 6 3 - - - - - - - -
5th 6 6 4 - - - - - - - -
6th 6 6 5 3 - - - - - - -
7th 6 6 6 4 - - - - - - -
8th 6 6 6 5 3 - - - - - -
9th 6 6 6 6 4 - - - - - -
10th 6 6 6 6 6 5 3 - - - -
11th 6 6 6 6 6 6 4 - - - -
12th 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 3 - - -
13th 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 4 - - -
14th 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 3 - -
15th 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 4 - -
16th 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 3 -
17th 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 4 -
18th 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 3
19th 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 4
20th 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
Spell List:
0th:
Acid Splash
Electric Jolt
Flare
Light
Ray of Frost
1st:
Burning Hands
Grease
Horizikaul's Boom
Ice Dagger
Magic Missile
Shocking Grasp
Sleep
True Strike
2nd:
Balagarn's Iron Horn
Cloud of Bewilderment
Combust
Continual Flame
Death Armor
Flame Weapon
Gedlee's Electric Loop
Melf's Acid Arrow
Sound Burst
3rd:
Fire Shield
Frost Shield
Fireball
Flame Arrow
Gust of Wind
Ice Storm
Lightning Bolt
Poison
Scintillating Sphere
Stinking Cloud
Frost Nova
4th:
Contagion
Evard's Black Tentacles
Isaac's Lesser Missile Storm
Phantasmal Killer
Wall of Fire
Wall of Ice
5th:
Ball Lightning
Cloudkill
Cone of Cold
Daltim's Fiery Tentacles
Firebrand
Flame Strike
Lightning Shield
Mestil's Acid Sheath
6th:
Acid Fog
Blade Barrier
Chain Lightning
Circle of Death
Disintegrate
Isaac's Greater Missile Storm
Tenser's Transformation
7th:
Delayed Blast Fireball
Finger of Death
Great Thunderclap
Earthquake
Fire Storm
Mordenkainen's Sword
Prismatic Spray
Sunbeam
8th:
Bombardment
Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting
Incendiary Cloud
Sunburst
9th:
Elemental Swarm
Iceberg
Implosion
Meteor Swarm
Wail of the Banshee
Weird
Epic:
Elemental Comet
Greater Ruin
Hellball
Vampiric Feasting
A few bells and whistles that could spice the class up if need be:
- A special attack ray that does minor damage and has a scaling breach effect that's on a scaling CD (never below 30 seconds)
- Higher damage from charisma (damage is reduced for certain spells)
- Limited special casts per day of spell mantles and globes of invulnerability
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class Description:
Warmages are the undisputed magical lords of the battlefield, equipped with a greater array of destructive evocation and conjuration spells than any other class. Despite their great power, warmages suffer from a fundamental lack of versatility. They are unable to cast the breadth of utility spells -- protection, concealing, information gathering, transportation, and other magics -- that make wizards powerful. To some of the cultures of Faerûn, the ability to destroy in a variety of ways is (or was) too much to ignore. To other cultures, warmages serve as elite battlefield generals, espousing the old adage that the best defense is overwhelming offense.
The ancient Raumathari battlemages were some of the most fearsome examples of warmages in Faerûnian history. While many of the battlemages were wizards and sorcerers, a significant portion of was made up of warmages. The art of this forlorn empire may be mostly lost, but those few who still practice it are extremely dangerous. Raumathari battlemagic involves a mixture of both destructive arcane magic with swordplay, blending the two in terrifying destructive synergy. When the Bronze Battletower (the home of the powerful Raumathari battlemage Vostas) was under siege, her lover, a warmage by the name of Welbohn Khuul, defended it to his last breath. It is believed that Welbohn's spirit was absorbed into the tower after his death, leaving the warmage to haunt the tower forever. Locals whisper that the current resident, a renegade Wychlaran by the name of Iaokhna Nuchlev, is being driven mad by Welbohn Khuul's spirit. Khuul is trying to drive out the durthan in the hopes of bringing students back to the Bronze Battletower to study battlemagic. He can't drive her out himself, because she hides in a room that is shielded from him in his undead state.
While many Thayans look down on warmages as narrow-minded louts, they can't deny the usefulness of having a contingent of these casters in their armies. From the perspective of the Red Wizards, warmages make excellent subjects because they are powerful weapons but lack the magical protections to defend themselves against mental control. A band of politically neutral warmages has arisen in Thay in recent years under the leadership of Norano Reked. Calling itself Daarthos Koruna after a strange magical artifact the members discovered in the Sunrise Mountains, the band serves Thay as mercenaries for hire. The Daarthos Koruna are seven circlets that render their wearers undetectable by magical and psionic means. For the most part, the band clears out the ruins of the Sunrise Mountains and Delhumide, but they have been known to perform special missions for a number of zulkirs.
Warmagic traditions have developed among a number of other races and lands. A small number of warmages are found among the War Wizards of Cormyr, though the order generally looks askance at the narrow focus of these members. The Shoon Imperium kept an elite cadre of warmages known as the sihirbalak. Many members fled to the Heartlands and Inner Sea lands after the fall of the Shoon Empire in 450 DR. Among the sun, moon, star, and wild elves, warmages are uncommon but do exist. They were instrumental in a number of battles against demonic hoards before the fall of Myth Drannor.
Currently, several warmagic are academies scattered across Faerûn. A small academy, appropriately known as the School of Warmagic, has been open for the last three years in Halarahh, the capital city of Halruaa. Though boasting only 50 students, this academy doesn't have the negative reputation that warmage schools have in other parts of Faerûn. A small department at the Wizard College of Gheldaneth in Mulhorand teaches warmages, though only 75 are enrolled. Some of the other students in the college look down on the warmagic students, but the nation sees them as an important line of defense in its continued existence. Small private academies also exist in Waterdeep, Silverymoon, and Suzail.
- Warmages and Favored Souls by Eytan Bernstein
Requirements
Alignment restrictions: none
Class Features
Hit die: d8
Proficiencies: armor (light), weapons (simple), and shields
Skill points: 2 + int modifier ((4 + int modifier) * 4 at 1st level)
Class Skills: concentration, craft mastery, discipline, heal, leadership, listen, lore, ride, sail, spellcraft, spot
Unavailable feats: weapon specialization
Bonus Feats: arcane defense, empower spell, extend spell, greater spell penetration, maximize spell, quicken spell, silent spell, spell penetration, still spell
Bonus Epic Feats: arcane feats, epic spells, etc
Primary saving throw(s): will, fortitude
Base attack bonus: +3/4 level
Spellcasting: Arcane (spell failure from medium and heavy armor, and large and tower shields is a factor until Armored Caster, which allows a warmage to avoid ASF in medium armor and with large shields); warmages automatically know all spells when leveling up; intelligence-based requiring a base (hard) intelligence score of 10 + the spell's level to cast a spell; bonus spells are based on modified (Soft) intelligence and the intelligence modifier affects spell DCs.
Special: Warmages do not get inficasting from spell focus feats; they also do not get access to commands such as -scry and -yoink (if this is possible).
Features per level:
1st Arcane Flux; Warmage's Edge; Bonus Feat: Combat Casting
5th Cantrip Mastery; Warmage Apprentice
8th Armored Caster
10th Warmage Adept
14th Bonus Feat: Improved Combat Casting
15th Auto Quicken I
20th Auto Quicken II; Warmage Master; Spell Shaper
21st Epic Arcane Caster
23th Epic Arcane Bonus Feat
26th Epic Arcane Bonus Feat
28th Eschew Spell Components
29th Epic Arcane Bonus Feat
30th Auto Quicken III; Warmage's Pinnacle
Feature Descriptions:
Arcane Flux (Warmage)
Warmages have a 20% chance to proc Arcane Flux when casting cantrips.
Warmage's Edge
Warmages get a bonus to damage-dealing spells depending on their hard charisma modifier:
- Charisma 12 - 13 --> 2 damage
- Charisma 14 - 15 --> 4 damage
- Charisma 16 - 17 --> 6 damage
- Charisma 18 - 19 --> 8 damage
- Charisma 20+ --> 10 damage
Spells that deal multiple instances of damage or have an Area of Effect that persists are not affected by this feature. Damage shields are similarly not affected.
Cantrip Mastery
Cantrips are automatically empowered as if under the effect of the Empower Spell metamagic feat.
Armored Caster:
Warmage's do not suffer from arcane spell failure when wearing medium armor and large shields.
Path of the Warmage
A warmage's training increases the intensity of their spells. These manifest as increases to DC and other bonuses. These bonuses do not stack with each other; each level subsumes the previous.
Warmage Apprentice bonuses:
+1 to all DCs for warmage spells
+1 ab to all ranged touch attacks
+5% chance for Arcane Flux to proc (25% total)
Warmage Adept bonuses:
+1 to all DCs for warmage spells
+2 ab to all ranged touch attacks
+10% chance for Arcane Flux to proc (30% total)
Warmage Master bonuses:
+2 to all DCs for warmage spells
+3 to all ranged touch attacks
+15% chance for Arcane Flux to proc (35% total)
Spell Shaper:
The warmage is immune to all of their own AoE spells. Epic spells still affect the warmage normally (no hellball immunity).
Warmage's Pinnacle:
The warmage has reached the pinnacle of their power. This is the warmage's capstone, granting the player a number of powerful features.
+3 to all DCs for warmage spells (implosion excluded)
+5 to all ranged touch attacks
+30% chance for Arcane Flux to proc (50% total)
The damage bonus from Warmage's Edge doubles
AoE spells do not affect party members (epic spells excluded)
Level Base spells per day
0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
1st 5 3 - - - - - - - - -
2nd 6 4 - - - - - - - - -
3rd 6 5 - - - - - - - - -
4th 6 6 3 - - - - - - - -
5th 6 6 4 - - - - - - - -
6th 6 6 5 3 - - - - - - -
7th 6 6 6 4 - - - - - - -
8th 6 6 6 5 3 - - - - - -
9th 6 6 6 6 4 - - - - - -
10th 6 6 6 6 6 5 3 - - - -
11th 6 6 6 6 6 6 4 - - - -
12th 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 3 - - -
13th 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 4 - - -
14th 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 3 - -
15th 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 4 - -
16th 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 3 -
17th 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 4 -
18th 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 3
19th 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 4
20th 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
Spell List:
0th:
Acid Splash
Electric Jolt
Flare
Light
Ray of Frost
1st:
Burning Hands
Grease
Horizikaul's Boom
Ice Dagger
Magic Missile
Shocking Grasp
Sleep
True Strike
2nd:
Balagarn's Iron Horn
Cloud of Bewilderment
Combust
Continual Flame
Death Armor
Flame Weapon
Gedlee's Electric Loop
Melf's Acid Arrow
Sound Burst
3rd:
Fire Shield
Frost Shield
Fireball
Flame Arrow
Gust of Wind
Ice Storm
Lightning Bolt
Poison
Scintillating Sphere
Stinking Cloud
Frost Nova
4th:
Contagion
Evard's Black Tentacles
Isaac's Lesser Missile Storm
Phantasmal Killer
Wall of Fire
Wall of Ice
5th:
Ball Lightning
Cloudkill
Cone of Cold
Daltim's Fiery Tentacles
Firebrand
Flame Strike
Lightning Shield
Mestil's Acid Sheath
6th:
Acid Fog
Blade Barrier
Chain Lightning
Circle of Death
Disintegrate
Isaac's Greater Missile Storm
Tenser's Transformation
7th:
Delayed Blast Fireball
Finger of Death
Great Thunderclap
Earthquake
Fire Storm
Mordenkainen's Sword
Prismatic Spray
Sunbeam
8th:
Bombardment
Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting
Incendiary Cloud
Sunburst
9th:
Elemental Swarm
Iceberg
Implosion
Meteor Swarm
Wail of the Banshee
Weird
Epic:
Elemental Comet
Greater Ruin
Hellball
Vampiric Feasting
A few bells and whistles that could spice the class up if need be:
- A special attack ray that does minor damage and has a scaling breach effect that's on a scaling CD (never below 30 seconds)
- Higher damage from charisma (damage is reduced for certain spells)
- Limited special casts per day of spell mantles and globes of invulnerability