Quassi-Class: Battle Mage

[Yojimbo]

Battle Mage

Back Story:
A battle hardened mage capable of the most pressured environment casting his destructive magic while the enemy hordes come rushing. He has seen many battles honed his skills to survive in the harshest of wars. His focus is unwavering never losing a step even while casting amidst his enemies. He has learned to protect himself with his magic with out losing his ability to destroy those who dare stand in his way.

Requirements:
Before level 21 you must meet the following criteria:
-15 or more levels of Wizard
-4 or more levels in Dwarven Defender or Champion of Torm
-21 or greater Constitution
-Combat Casting, Improved Expertise, and Greater Spell Focus: Abjuration

Benefits:
At level 21 with all requirements met you will receive the following feats:
-Armor Skin, Improved Combat Casting, and Epic Spell: Epic Warding
While wearing robes and not carrying a shield the caster get their Constitution (CON) modifier as a Shield AC bonus to a maximum of +14 at a CON score of 38.

Casting Changes:

Conjuration and Enchantment spells receive a Caster Level (CL) penalty of Wizard (Wiz) Levels - Dwarven Defender (DD) Levels - Champion of Torm (CoT) Levels. This penalty is capped at the minimum required level to cast the spell. Alternatively it forces you to if you have not already go through the HG Spell School Focus automatically selecting Abjuration as the chosen school and stripping you of Conjuration and Enchantment spells.

Can only take/use the following Epic Spell feats:
Epic Spell: Epic Warding
Epic Spell: Hellball
Epic Spell: Greater Ruin

CL for the spells below are WIZ Levels + DD Levels + CoT Levels:

Level 0:
Resistance*

Level 1:
Shield
Endure Elements

Level 2:
Resist Elements
Ghostly Visage
Flame Weapon*
Lesser Dispel*

Level 3:
Protection from Elements
Dispel Magic*
Magic Circle Against Alignment

Level 4:
Stoneskin
Minor Globe of Invulnerability
Wall of Fire*
Lesser Spell Breach

Level 5:
Dismissal
Lesser Spell Mantle
Energy Buffer


Level 6:
Globe of Invulnerability
Greater Stoneskin*
Ethereal Visage
Greater Dispelling*
Greater Spell Breach

Level 7:
Spell Mantle
Banishment
Power Word: Stun

Level 8:
Premonition
Mass Blindness/Deafness

Level 9:
Mordenkainen’s Disjunction*
Greater Spell Mantle



Spell Changes:
Level 0:
Resistance: Grants the target creature a +CON Modifier bonus to all saving throws capped at +10.

Level 2:
Flame Weapon: Adds 1d4 + CON Modifier magic damage
Lesser Dispel: DC is 1d20 + 1 + CON Modifier + (Abjuration foci * 2) vs. a DC of (11 + target HD)

Level 3:
Dispel Magic: DC is 1d20 + 1 + CON Modifier*1.5 + (Abjuration foci * 4) vs. a DC of (11 + target HD)

Level 4:
Wall of Fire: Upon reaching the qualifications for Battle Mage this spell creates the wall of stone.
Greater Stoneskin: Receives +1 soak power for LSF Abjuration, to a maximum of +15

Level 6:
Greater Dispelling: DC is 1d20 + 1 + CON Modifier*2 + (Abjuration foci * 6) vs. a DC of (11 + target HD)
Greater Stoneskin: Receives +1 soak power for LSF Abjuration, to a maximum of +15

Level 9:
Mordenkainen’s Disjunction: DC is 1d20 + 1 + CON Modifier*3 + (Abjuration foci * 2) vs. a DC of (11 + target HD)

Bonus for CoT levels:
Replace the standard Greater Smite tools effects with the following:
-At CoT level 20 the Greater Smite tool may be used on a single target and cast Lesser Dispel (at CL) and deal (CoT Level/5) d6 Magic Damage. This ability increases at CoT level 30 to cast Dispel and at CoT level 40 casts Greater Dispel. This ability cannot be obtained in legendary levels. Legendary levels do count for progression of the feats effects. Taking the Great Smite feats can increase the damage die to d8 with Great Smite V and d10 with Great Smite X.

Bonus for DD levels:
Replace the standard Defensive Weave tools effects, for this perhaps the tool entirely, with the following:
-At DD level 11 the Defensive Weave tool will now enter you into Casting Stance, new tool could be named this, which grants you 1% physical immunity and +2 concentration. This ability increases as you take DD levels LL do not count toward acquiring this ability but do for progression. Below is the progression of this feat for the quasi-class.
DD Level, Physical Immunity, Concentration
11, 1%, +2
20, 1%, +5
28, 2%, +10
36, 2%, +15
44, 3%, +20
Taking the full progression of Epic Damage Reduction feats to Epic Damage Reduction III grants and additional +2% physical immunity when using Casting Stance.

[pete]

i dont think expertise can be used while casting, prehaps that could be a bonus of your class?
as a limitation, how about baring all "save or die" spells?

have you tried making a bane knight or pariah? these quasiclasses seem to be what your trying to do, or if you really want to turn a wizard into a tank try staffmaster or an RDD control class BFM

[Yojimbo]

First I want a Wizard not Sorcerer as nice a class it is I want to do something a little outside the norm. The limit to Wizard also prevents the normal RDD tank option. To me Staffmaster is more a fighter than a tank it can dis out some damage but it doesn't look like it can survive too well. The thing about Expertise is that in the normal game I believe it does work now HG could have disabled it. HG could enable it for this class if it is turned off for casting this would be good and increase the viability of the QC. How many Save vs Death spells does a Wizard have besides PWK and Wierd I am not sure of any except Banishment which I believe is an Abjuration and applies to Summons, Companions, and Familiars which makes it it really fit with the Buff & Debuff focus which is what I am aiming for. I want it to be a good tank but I want alot of it to be about Buff and Debuffs. I am thinking extend some buffs based on Consitution modifier but I am trying to figure how to let it divert to either focus more on buffs or more on debuffs.

Please help me out here people

[Yojimbo]

*BUMP*
Changes have been made to the original post please comment.

I want to know does Expertise work while casting now? If it doesn't I do think this would be a great feature for this class.

[Yojimbo]

I have fleshed out alot of this idea and would like some feedback. I did this QC becuase I feel there is a lack of Wizards and a lack of wizard based QC, just 2 and both feel insufficient to me. I would also love to have a wizard who tanks ofcourse being my draw to it. I also like the Red Mage in Final Fantasy which often has more focus on debuffs and buffs then attacks. I am also thinking it would be interesting to split this on the CoT DD line. This would be by making those spells listed that are based on Wiz+DD+CoT for CL split up the list the buffs would be Wiz+DD+½CoT and the debuffs are Wiz+½DD+CoT.

[Torin]

Some comments/suggestions/ides:
- 6 feats as requirement are way too much
- If CON is your main stat, than it should affect DC for this quasi's selected spells.
- Does this Battlemage fights in robes or in armor? If in robes, the AC would be horrible I guess (or you add some concealment boni like for the Stuffmaster). If in armor, some autostill feats (like the Baneknight gets) would be nice.
- No Tensor's, GMW? -> Ah, this quasi kills all with spells and not with weapons. OK, I understand. But in that case, the Battlemage must have more damage/Killer spells on the spell list.

[Yojimbo]

Feb 19, 2009 12:51:51 GMT Torin said:

Some comments/suggestions/ides:
- 6 feats as requirement are way too much
- If CON is your main stat, than it should affect DC for this quasi's selected spells.
- Does this Battlemage fights in robes or in armor? If in robes, the AC would be horrible I guess (or you add some concealment boni like for the Stuffmaster). If in armor, some autostill feats (like the Baneknight gets) would be nice.
- No Tensor's, GMW? -> Ah, this quasi kills all with spells and not with weapons. OK, I understand. But in that case, the Battlemage must have more damage/Killer spells on the spell list.

First thank you for your reply and now on to some responses. I want steep requirements as I want this to be worth the work. Expertise adds 5 AC and Improved Expertise adds 10 AC so robes are the initial thought. I believe people can and would take the still spells to get armor for some builds but as you said with 6 feats to add still spell would be tough. The idea is more about damage immunity and damage reduction not AC or Conceal you not ment to avoid getting hit but just shrug it off. I am focusing on self buffs, sorry party hes ment to take the damage and help in other ways, and debuffs, here where he helps parties so GMW didn't feel right and I couldn't figure a good way to change Tenser as well it would be a 4th 6th level spell change, atleast for the CL portion. The issue with the CON is I just haven't figured a good way to implement it with out adding too much power. I was thinking perhaps the dispel DC keeps its standard formula except add +CON Modifier and cap that boost.

[Yojimbo]

I have made many modifications to the original post. I am as always open to suggestions and critism. I still need clearification on if Expertise functions in while casting in combat. Some testing or someone knowledable who knows.