Wizard
The Traveller
There's a certain place that can be reached, through the fractured magical veils of this western sea, if you put yourself in the right state of mind at the right place, that leads to all others.
It was there that I met the traveler, bespectacled and in comfortable clothes for walking. She seemed like she had seen it all, but she assured me not even gods had seen it all, and could not, and while she would try, and has been trying for centuries, she had only managed to surpass the wanderings of half of the deities.
She told me of the places beyond she'd been; forests that stretched for thousands of miles, wastelands dotted with cages filled with the damned, oceans that lacked surfaces, surfaces that were upside down but you could stand on them regardless; she spoke of mountains of silver, swamps of acid, deserts of war, and any number of nightmarish configurations from a place that no mortal had ever seen the bottom of.
She wrote it all down, filed with the spells that would let her traverse it, let her overcome it. The creatures she met there, and the true names she used to call them. The feelings she felt there, and the movements she could use to recall them. The knowledge she found there, and the words that would make it real elsewhere
All in that little book, a lifetime of learning and studying; it was magic, but it was reality; rather it was the reality that always existed and was just waiting for someone to remind it of that fact
She quickly traveled on, and I feared to follow: for unlike me, she was prepared.
Overview:
Magic is everything. Magic is in every stone, every breath of air, every creature that moves, every creature that will never move again. It's the fabric through which all things take form, through which all things can be understood, altered, dominated. Information, knowledge, secrets, truths, axioms, danger, temptation, ruination; to study magic is to know all these things, and to always learn more. Wizards devote their life to studying magic, and inscribing every spell they come across into their spellbook; with this power, they learn more of magic, or enforce their will on the world. Wizards are a diverse lot, but tend towards selfishness and lonesomeness; long years of study to even step foot in the realm of wizardry can make even the darkest spell tempting to learn, use, and master, and even the most megalomaniacal ambition seem achievable with just the right spell. They sometimes focus in a particular school of magic, giving up another for greater mastery. Those who follow the path to the end gain reality-altering powers that have in the past surpassed gods, and may again in the future.
Key Mechanics:
School Specialization
Wizards can be Generalists, equally capable of all spell schools, or specialize in a certain school, gaining one additional spell cast per level but losing access to all the spells of another school. >
The schools are:
Abjuration - Spells that protect, or that undo magic. Loses Conjuration.
Conjuration - Spells that summon creatures and matter. Loses Transmutation.
Divination - Spells that reveal information about past, present, and future. Loses Illusion.
Enchantment - Spells that affect the minds of other creatures, positively or with manipulation Loses Illusion.
Evocation - Spells that create objects or energy, especially damaging energy. Loses Conjuration.
Illusion - Spells that conceal, mislead, and deceive. Loses Enchantment.
Necromancy - Spells that manipulate life and death, especially undead. Loses Divination.
Transmutation - Spells that enhance, detract, and change. Loses Conjuration.
Arcane Spellcasting
Wizards are capable of casting spells up to 9th level as they level up. Casting 9th level spells requires an Intelligence score of at least 19, and high intelligence improves the DC of saves targets must make to resist spells as well as the number of spells that can be prepared each day. Wizards must prepare a set list of spells, but can change their prepared spells each rest.
Spells of 7th level and higher cost Spell Reagents to cast, based on level. These can be crafted by players.
Spellbook - Wizards can learn any wizard spell, as long as it's not from a prohibited school, by studying the spell from a scroll.
They must be able to cast the spell's level in order to learn it. They must prepare the spell they learn to cast it, but they can learn every wizard spell available with enough scroll-hunting. They learn new spells every time they level up.
Summon Familiar - A wizard can summon a familiar, a small magical creature that acts as their companion. They can see through their familiar's eyes by possessing it, and the familiar improves as the wizard gains levels.
Scribe Scroll - Wizards can scribe their spells into scrolls so long as they find appropriate paper. This takes gold and experience, and uses that spell's preparation for the rest.
Bonus Feats
As wizards progress in level, they can occasionally take bonus feats. These feats are related to improving casting, item creation, metamagic, and spell school focus.
Key Mechanics at Level 20:
BAB: 10/5
HP: 80+20x Constitution
Saves: +6 Fort, +6 Reflex, +12 Will
Skills: 40 + 20x Intelligence: Concentration, craft armor, craft trap, craft weapon, heal, lore, spellcraft