Mystic Savant (Apath)

Arcane savants roam in search of forgotten lore and ancient magical devices. They are specialists in the theory and practice of magic, illuminating mysteries of the eldritch fabric that permeates existence. The path of the savant brings mastery of the lore of glyphs and sigils, knowledge of exotic spells, and the power to unlock the full potential of magical devices.

Class Information

This is a prestige class archetype.

Prestige Class: Arcane savant.

Build Classes: Wizard.

Role: An arcane savant is a wizard with an usually wide breadth of magic. They control the battlefield like regular wizards, but are even more capable than wizards when it comes to understanding any magic encountered.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d6.

Class Skills

The Arcane savant's class skills (and the key ability for each) are Appraise (Int), Craft (Int), Fly (Dex), Knowledge (all) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int) Survival (Wis), Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

Spells

An arcane savant casts arcane spells drawn from the sorcerer/wizard savant spell list. An arcane savant must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time.

To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the arcane savant must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an arcane savant's spell is 10 + the spell level + the arcane savant's Intelligence modifier.

An arcane savant can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Arcane Savant. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligence score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells).

An arcane savant may know any number of spells. He must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour studying his spellbook. While studying, the arcane savant decides which spells to prepare.

Starting Spells: An arcane savant begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level arcane savant spells (except those from his opposed schools, if any; see Arcane Schools) plus three 1st-level spells of his choice. The arcane savant also selects a number of additional 1st-level spells equal to his Intelligence modifier to add to the spellbook. At any time, an arcane savant can also add spells found in other spellbooks to his own (see Magic).

Spells Gained at a New Level: Arcane savants perform a certain amount of spell research between adventures. Each time a character attains a new arcane savant level, he gains two spells of his choice to add to his spellbook. The two free spells must be of spell levels he can cast. If he has chosen to specialize in a school of magic, one of the two free spells must be from his specialty school.

Adept Activation (Ex)

An Arcane savant can always take 10 on Use Magic Device checks, except when activating an item blindly.

Cantrips

Arcane savants can prepare a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, each day, as noted on Table: Arcane savant under “Spells per Day.” These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again. An arcane savant can prepare a cantrip from an opposition school, but it uses up two of his available slots (see below).

Scribe Scroll

At 1st level, an arcane savant gains Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat.

Master Scholar (Ex)

An Arcane savant adds 1/2 his class level as a bonus on all Knowledge (arcana), Spellcraft, and Use Magic Device checks. He can always take 10 on Knowledge (arcana) and Spellcraft checks, even if distracted or endangered.

Esoteric Magic (Ex)

At 3rd level and every three class level beyond 3rd, the Arcane savant chooses a spell from any class’s spell list and thereafter treats it as if it were on the spell list of his base spellcasting classes; if his base class could not normally cast that spell, it is treated as 1 level higher. The spell’s type (arcane or divine) and save DCs function as normal for his base spellcasting class. All other restrictions of his normal spellcasting class apply.

Glyph-Finding (Ex)

At 4th level, an Arcane savant can use Spellcraft to find writing-based magical traps (including glyphs, runes, sigils, and symbols) in the same way a rogue can use Perception to search for traps.

Scroll Master (Su)

A 5th-level Arcane savant uses his own caster level instead of the item’s caster level when using a scroll or other spell completion item.

Quick Identification (Sp)

Starting at 7th level, a savant may use detect magic and identify in combination to identify the magic properties of an item as a swift action. He may do this once per day at level 7-11, two timer per day at level 12-17, and three times per day at level 18 and higher.

Sigil Master (Su)

A 8th level, an Arcane savant receives a +5 bonus on saving throws against writing-based magical traps, and if the save is successful he does not trigger the trap. If he leaves the trap’s area and then re-enters, he must save again. A trap that has already been triggered functions normally against an Arcane savant, though he still receives this saving throw bonus.

Analyze Dweomer (Sp)

Starting at 11th level, a savant may use analyze dweomer for up to 1 round per level per day. He may use this ability in 1-round increments.

Silence Master (Su)

A 13th-level arcane savant is able to activate spell trigger, spell completion, and command word items silently, substituting a magical gesture for the necessary words. He cannot use this ability in circumstances where he could not cast a spell with somatic components. He must know how to activate the item normally for this ability to work.

Three times per day he may cast a spell of 6th level or lower as if he were using a silent metamagic rod.

Dispelling Master (Su)

Starting at 16th level, the savant can spontaneously convert any prepared spell into dispel magic or greater dispel magic by losing a spell slot of equal or higher level. Every time he successfully uses either of these spells to make a targeted dispel or counterspell, he heals hit points equal to the caster level of the effect dispelled or counterspelled.

Table: Arcane Savant

Level

Base Attack Bonus

Fort Save

Ref Save

Will Save

Special

Spells per Day

0+1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

1st

+0

+0

+0

+2

1st

+0

+0

+0

+2

Adept activation, cantrips, Scribe Scroll

2nd

+1

+0

+0

+3

2nd

+1

+0

+0

+3

Master scholar

3rd

+1

+1

+1

+3

3rd

+1

+1

+1

+3

Esoteric magic

4th

+2

+1

+1

+4

4th

+2

+1

+1

+4

Glyph-finding

5th

+2

+1

+1

+4

5th

+2

+1

+1

+4

Scroll master

6th

+3

+2

+2

+5

1st

+0

+0

+0

+1

Esoteric magic

7th

+3

+2

+2

+5

2nd

+1

+1

+1

+1

Quick Identification

8th

+4

+2

+2

+6

3rd

+1

+1

+1

+2

Sigil master

9th

+4

+3

+3

+6

4th

+2

+1

+1

+2

Esoteric magic

10th

+5

+3

+3

+7

5th

+2

+2

+2

+3

11th

+5

+3

+3

+7

6th

+3

+2

+2

+3

Analyze dweomer

12th

+6/+1

+4

+4

+8

7th

+3

+2

+2

+4

Esoteric magic

13th

+6/+1

+4

+4

+8

6th

+3

+2

+2

+5

Silence master

14th

+7/+2

+4

+4

+9

7th

+3

+2

+2

+5

15th

+7/+2

+5

+5

+9

8th

+4

+2

+2

+6

Esoteric magic

16th

+8/+3

+5

+5

+10

9th

+4

+3

+3

+6

Dispelling master

17th

+8/+3

+5

+5

+10

10th

+5

+3

+3

+7

18th

+9/+4

+6

+6

+11

11th

+5

+3

+3

+7

Esoteric magic

19th

+9/+4

+6

+6

+11

12th

+6/+1

+4

+4

+8

20th

+10/+5

+6

+6

+12

13th

+6/+1

+4

+4

+8