CLASSES: The Wizard

WIZARD
HP: 1d6 (minimum 4) until level 12, +1 HP/level after 12
Attack Bonus: +0 at level 1 -> Low progression
Attack Rate:     Level 1        1/1 turn

Weapon Proficiencies:    1 at level 1 + 1 every 5 levels (6, 11, 16)
    Non-Proficient Weapon Penalty: -5
Weapon Proficiencies: Wizards may choose from the club, dagger, heavy crossbow, light crossbow and quarterstaff.

Talent Proficiencies:     4 at level 1 + 1 every 3.5 levels (5, 8, 12, 15, 19)
    Non-Proficient Talent Penalty: -3
Wizard Talents: Wizards undergo arcane education. They start the game with proficiency in the Spellcraft Talent and one bonus Talent available to them from the Knowledge category.

Fortitude Save: +1 at level 1 + 1 every 2.5 levels (4, 6, 9, 11, 14, 16, 19)
Reflex Save: +1 at level 1 + 1 every 2.5 levels (4, 6, 9, 11, 14, 16, 19)
Will Save: +3 at level 1 + 1 every 2 levels (3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19)

Practiced Magicks: [Use: Additional Effect on Spells] - Wizards are versatile spellcasters well-practiced in the ways of the arcane. They reduce all spellcasting times by 2. If this reduces a spells casting time to 0 the spell can be cast as a Standard action.

Versatility: A Wizard does not recognize any School of magic as a favorite.

Spells: A Wizard casts Arcane spells which are drawn from the Arcane spell list. A Wizard can learn any number of spells but must find or research them. A Wizard starts the game knowing 2 spells of their choice and 1d4 + Int Modifier additional spells that are randomly determined. When a Wizard gains a new level of spell casting they automatically learn 1 spell of their choice of that level. Learning a new spell is a Spellcraft check that takes 1 hour per spell level to perform and that is modified by the level of the spell (-1 Ability per spell level). If a Wizard fails to learn a spell they can try again after a week. During this week 100 gp per spell level must be spent in research costs to approach learning the spell from a fresh direction.

The Wizard receives more spells per day and higher levels of spells as they increase in level (see chart). Wizards use Intelligence as their primary ability score for casting purposes and to cast a spell they must have an Intelligence score of at least 10+Spell Level (for example a Wizard could only cast a level 3 spell if they had an Intelligence of 13 or higher).

Wizards study for their spells. Wizards must spend a continuous hour in study to prepare their spells. During this time, a Wizard requires access to their spell book to reference the spells they will prepare. A Wizard may prepare and cast any spell they have access to in their spell book, provided that they can cast spells of that level, but they must choose which spells to prepare during their study. In the course of the day, a Wizard may choose to replace a spell they have memorized but have not yet cast with a different spell of the same level. Doing so takes 10 minutes of study per level of the spell being replaced and requires the Wizard have access to their spell book just as if they were memorizing the spell initially.

A Wizard may also cast a spell by referencing it directly from their spellbook. This is a difficult process that requires the Wizards spell book and 10 minutes per spell level of preparation and casting time. After casting a spell in this manner, the Wizard suffers 1 point of Intelligence drain per spell level. This Intelligence drain heals as normal after 8 hours of rest.

Wizards also have access to spells of level 0 called Cantrips. A Wizards knows and has access to all Cantrips and can cast them without a per day limitation.

A Wizard suffers a Spell Failure chance when wearing Armor of any kind.

Practiced Preparation [Use: Additional Effect on Spells] - At level 4 and higher, a Wizard learns how to prepare spells in new ways. When a Wizard prepares spells they may choose to decrease the casting time of a single spell by 5. A spell prepared in this way does not have it's casting time further modified by Practiced Magicks.

Focus [Use: Additional Effect on Spells] - At 10th level and higher, a Wizard learns how to pour more energy into spells. When a Wizard casts a spell they may choose to double the casting time of that spell. If they do, they can choose to have all dice of that spell stepped up 1 step, to increase any DCs of the spell by +2, or increase the duration of the spell by 50%. If the spell has an option to Extend, the extended rounds of the spell are not affected by this ability. After casting the spell, the Wizard is Fatigued for a number of rounds equal to twice the level of the spell.

Mastered Magicks [Use: Additional Effects on Spells] – At level 20, a Wizard has become a master of Arcane spells. If a spells Extend option increases the spells casting time, the Wizard only has to increase the casting time by half that amount. Additionally, when the Wizard uses Focus they are only Fatigued for 1 round per spell level instead of 2.

Wizard Level	Ability	Attack Bonus			CMB			Base Armor Class			Fort	Ref	Will	Spell Level
Cleric Level														1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
1	WPs, TPs, Wizard Talents, Practiced Magicks		+0			+0			10		+1	+1	+3	2
2			+1			+1			10		+1	+1	+3	3
3			+1			+2			10		+1	+1	+4	4	1
4	Practiced Preparation		+2			+3			11		+2	+2	+4	5	2
5	TP		+2			+3			11		+2	+2	+5	5	2	1
6	WP		+3			+4			11		+3	+3	+5	5	3	1
7			+3			+5			11		+3	+3	+6	5	3	2	1
8	TP		+4			+6			12		+3	+3	+6	5	4	2	1
9			+4			+6			12		+4	+4	+7	5	4	2	1	1
10	Focus		+5			+7			12		+4	+4	+7	5	5	3	2	1
11	WP		+5			+8			12		+5	+5	+8	5	5	3	2	1	1
12	TP		+6			+9			13		+5	+5	+8	5	5	3	2	1	1
13			+6			+9			13		+5	+5	+9	5	5	4	2	2	1	1
14			+7			+10			13		+6	+6	+9	5	5	4	3	2	1	1
15	TP		+7			+11			13		+6	+6	+10	5	5	4	3	2	1	1	1
16	WP		+8			+12			14		+7	+7	+10	5	5	5	3	2	2	1	1
17			+8			+12			14		+7	+7	+11	5	5	5	3	2	2	1	1	1
18			+9			+13			14		+7	+7	+11	5	5	5	4	3	2	1	1	1
19	TP		+9			+14			14		+8	+8	+12	5	5	5	4	3	2	2	1	1
20	Mastered Magicks		+10			+15			15		+8	+8	+12	5	5	5	4	3	2	2	1	1

***

At long last we have the Wizard. An important thing to keep in mind with this class is that it represents a true generalist magic-user (hint hint: guess what you can expect later...) with a range of talents.

Hey look at that! A low-level Wizard in training! Though it may bother some, Harry is a pretty good example of a beginner Wizard that just practices general magic. He has magical power augmented by a keen intellect though his judgement can often be found wanting. Hit Int low Wis I suppose.

When he levels up maybe he'll go mad with power and become...this guy!

Yup. Good ol' Black Mage Evilwizardington. And if you don't know about 8-bit Theater then shame on you!

Ultimate power with the waggle of a finger and the shout of HADOKEN! ...but he can only do it once a day. Drat! Anyway, Black Mage here is an engine of destruction but also squishy. He has overwhelming intellect and the social skills of a rabid weasel. He has enough power to throw down but still travels in mortal realms.

The high level Wizard though? Nope...

Doctor Strange here is, simply put, the man when it comes to magic. He travels to distant realms, deals in demi-planes, vanquishes evil gods and knows just about every form of magic. He is beyond brilliant and a wealth of knowledge both mundane and arcane. He is what Wizards should strive to be when they reach the pinnacle of their power and he is a great representation of a high-level Wizard.

Now the class itself...

Many things, like with the other classes, will seem familiar. The Wizard has low HP...only a d6 which is the lowest for classes here...and a strong Will save as is usual. Like the Thief and Cleric, the Wizard has a good Talent background including getting a couple automatic Talents. They are seriously hurting when it comes to Weapon Proficiencies however and they gain neither Weapon nor Talent proficiencies very quickly because of their focus on arcane studies.

Like their poor Base Attack Bonus, Wizards also have the lowest Base Armor Class growth.

As for the abilities...

Practiced Magicks is a defining trait for the Wizard class allowing them to excel with any spell. It is straight-forward and useful.

Versatility is a part of the game having to do with other kinds of Magic-Users...

Spells...THE defining trait of the magic-using classes, Wizards spell-casting is similar to how it's always been. Note, however, that Wizards have the ability to switch out what spells they have if they take a bit of time. This goes a long way to preventing Wizards from the game bogging down because a Wizard might not have memorized a good spell for the current situation. Similarly, Wizards can cast even without having memorized by referencing their books but it is a slow process that is not meant for battle. These abilities allow a Wizard to remain a tool-box class while still having built-in limitations.

Practiced Preparation is another ability harkening to the versatility of the generalist Wizard, allowing them to prepare a system of short-cuts into one of their daily spells. This is a nice utility ability that can help mitigate the risk of one of the Wizards spells, allowing them to fire it off with greater speed. Keep in mind that spell failure and spell interruption exist in the system so being able to cast faster makes a Wizard far more likely to be able to get their spell off.

Focus is an important ability not only for it's tactical applications and ability to create interesting choices for the Wizard to make but also because it is the first mentioning of the Extend ability on spells. More on that later in this post... Anyway, Focus gives the Wizard that little bit extra oomph on spells when he's willing to put in the time and effort and is a classic trope of the Wizard.

Mastered Magicks is very much in the vein of the Fighters capstone, giving the Wizard a boost to their primary modus operandi. It is simple but strong.

Now...I mentioned Extend on spells. As with the Cleric, it is clear this Wizard gets less spells than Wizards in other D&D editions. For comparison, my Wizard can cast a total of 28 spells (the 7, 8 and 9 of which are costly) while the Pathfinder Wizard can cast 36. Realistically, with bonus spells, that Pathfinder Wizard can probably cast 50 or so a day. This is a big hit to the Wizard's per-day ability and could be seen as a huge nerf...and it would be but there is compensation being built in just like with the Cleric's Aura. Here is a taste...

Magic Missile

School [element] evocation [force]; Level 1 Wizard

Casting Time 2

Components V, S

Range 100 ft

Targets up to five creatures

Duration instantaneous

Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes

A missile of magical energy darts forth from your fingertip and strikes its target, dealing 1d4+1 points of force damage.

The missile strikes unerringly, even if the target is in melee combat, so long as it has less than total cover or total concealment. Specific parts of a creature can't be singled out. Objects are not damaged by the spell.
For every two caster levels beyond 1st, you gain an additional missile—two at 3rd level, three at 5th, four at 7th, and the maximum of five missiles at 9th level or higher. If you shoot multiple missiles, you can have them strike a single creature or several creatures. A single missile can strike only one creature. You must designate targets before you check for spell resistance or roll damage.


Extend: Casting Time 8; For up to 4 rounds after casting Magic Missile, you may fire another identical volley of missiles. Each round you may designate different targets for the missiles.

Now, as you can see, when a Wizard casts Magic Missile they may do so normally or they can increase the casting time and Extend the spell, gaining the benefits described. While using Extend, the Wizard must use a Full Round action every turn to maintain the spell and can only take a 5 foot step though they defend normally. A Wizard can always choose to end the Extend effect early to cast a different spell or do something different entirely but doing so forfeits the remainder of the extended spell. Similarly, if the Wizard fails a concentration check during the rounds they are using Extend they lose any remaining rounds just as if they were casting a spell.



Again, this all works to make spells more tactical, full of potential choices for the Wizard to make and to keep the Wizard viable even with less spells per day to cast. In general, some spells will be losing power but will make up for it in other ways. Just wait until you see what I have in store for some of the spells! For instance, Fireball can be extended so that after the explosion it leaves behind a Flaming Sphere the Wizard can use as per the spell of the same name. This also gives the opportunity for spells to have different versions with different extensions....for example, an Iceball while having an identical initial effect (Boom!) with a different descriptor, would have a very different Extend ability. Like I said...wait and see...

Hope to hear some feedback!