Wu-Jen (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

See also: http://worldofotep.blogspot.se/2009/04/375-update-wu-jen.html

Wu jen are spellcasters with mysterious powers. They command the elements, spirit forces, and the powers of nature. They are seldom found living with the rest of human society. Instead, they live as hermits in the wilderness, purifying their bodies and minds to contact the various natural and supernatural powers of the world. From these entities they learn their spells—magical means to control the invisible forces of the world.

Adventures: Wu jen typically adventure to expand their knowledge of the world, both magical and mundane. Like wizards, they tend to approach adventures with careful planning, since their daily spell selection is vitally important.

Characteristics: Wu jen are the arcane spellcasters of the Far East. As with wizards, their spells are their primary class feature, and as such assume an all-important role in their lives. Many wu jen spells draw on the power of the five elements (earth, fire, metal, water, and wood). Finally, wu jen are adept at manipulating their spells, increasing their range, duration, or effect, or eliminating verbal or somatic components through permanent metamagic effects.

Alignment: Wu jen tend to stand apart from the lawful societies predominant in most cultures, flouting the rules and norms of decent folk. They have a strong tendency toward chaos, but in any event they cannot be lawful.

Background: Wu jen crave magical power outside organized colleges of wizardry. Their thirst drives them to seek out others like themselves— hermits, recluses, or exiles who have gained the secrets they seek. Nearly all wu jen are trained by a single mentor in this fashion, outcast from proper society and set apart by their fearsome supernatural powers.

Races: Most wu jen are humans, though members of all the common races of the eastern lands can learn their craft.

Other Classes: Wu jen generally don’t like members of any other class. At the same time, however, a wu jen is painfully aware that without fighters and samurai to block enemy soldiers, a shaman to heal her wounds, and perhaps a rogue to deal with locks and traps, her path to the knowledge she seeks might be blocked by insurmountable and possibly fatal obstacles. This realization of her reliance on other classes might make her accept them or might make her resent them.

Game Rule Information

Wu jen have the following game statistics.

Table: The Wu Jen

Level

Base Attack Bonus

Fort Save

Ref Save

Will Save

Special

Spells per Day

0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

1st

+0

+0

+0

+2

Channel energy, domain powers

3

1

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

2nd

+1

+0

+0

+3

4

2

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

3rd

+1

+1

+1

+3

4

2

1

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

4th

+2

+1

+1

+4

Bonus feat

5

3

2

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

5th

+2

+1

+1

+4

5

3

2

1

—

—

—

—

—

—

6th

+3

+2

+2

+5

5

3

3

2

—

—

—

—

—

—

7th

+3

+2

+2

+5

6

4

3

2

1

—

—

—

—

—

8th

+4

+2

+2

+6

Bonus feat

6

4

3

3

2

—

—

—

—

—

9th

+4

+3

+3

+6

6

4

4

3

2

1

—

—

—

—

10th

+5

+3

+3

+7

6

4

4

3

3

2

—

—

—

—

11th

+5

+3

+3

+7

6

5

4

4

3

2

1

—

—

—

12th

+6/+1

+4

+4

+8

Bonus feat

6

5

4

4

3

3

2

—

—

—

13th

+6/+1

+4

+4

+8

6

5

5

4

4

3

2

1

—

—

14th

+7/+2

+4

+4

+9

6

5

5

4

4

3

3

2

—

—

15th

+7/+2

+5

+5

+9

6

5

5

5

4

4

3

2

1

—

16th

+8/+3

+5

+5

+10

Bonus feat

6

5

5

5

4

4

3

3

2

—

17th

+8/+3

+5

+5

+10

6

5

5

5

5

4

4

3

2

1

18th

+9/+4

+6

+6

+11

6

5

5

5

5

4

4

3

3

2

19th

+9/+4

+6

+6

+11

6

5

5

5

5

5

4

4

3

3

20th

+10/+5

+6

+6

+12

Bonus feat

6

5

5

5

5

5

4

4

4

4

Abilities: Intelligence determines how powerful a spell a wu jen can cast, how many spells the wu jen can cast per day, and how hard those spells are to resist. To cast a spell, a wu jen must have an Intelligence score of 10 + the spell’s level. A wu jen gets bonus spells based on Intelligence. The Difficulty Class of a saving throw against a wu jen’s spell is 10 + the spell’s level + the wu jen’s Intelligence modifier. High Dexterity is helpful for a wu jen, who typically wears little or no armor, because it provides her with an Armor Class bonus. A good Constitution gives a wu jen extra hit points, a resource that she is otherwise very low on.

Alignment: Any nonlawful.

Hit Die: d6.

Class Skills

A wu jen’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Craft (Int), Fly (Dex) Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Survial (Wis).

Skill Points Per Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

All the following are class features of the wu jen.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Wu jen are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any type of armor or shield. Armor of any type interferes with a wu jen’s arcane gestures, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail.

Spells

A wu jen casts arcane spells drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. A wu jen must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time. To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the wu jen must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a wu jen's spell is 10 + the spell level + the wu jen's Intelligence modifier. A wu jen can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Wu jen. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligence.

A wu jen 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 wu jen decides which spells to prepare.

Starting Spells (See Spellbooks below): A wu jen begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level wu jen spells (except those from his opposed schools, if any; see Arcane Schools) plus three 1st-level spells of his choice. The wu jen also selects a number of additional 1st-level spells equal to his Intelligence modifier to add to the spellbook. At each new wu jen level, he gains two new spells of any spell level or levels that he can cast (based on his new wu jen level) for his spellbook. At any time, a wu jen can also add spells found in other wu jens' spellbooks to his own (see Magic).

Spells Gained at a New Level: Wu jens perform a certain amount of spell research between adventures. Each time a character attains a new wu jen 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.

Bonus Languages

A wu jen can substitute Draconic or Giant for one of the bonus languages available to the character because of her race, since many ancient tomes of magic are written in these languages and apprentice wu jen often learn them as part of their studies.

Watchful Spirit

Once per day, a wu jen can reroll an initiative roll she has just made before she knows her place in the initiative order. She takes the better of the two rolls.

Bonus Feat

A wu jen begins play with a bonus metamagic feat.

Spell Secret

At 3rd level, and every three levels thereafter, a wu jen can choose one spell known to her that then becomes permanently modified as though affected by one of the following metamagic feats: Enlarge Spell, Extend Spell, Still Spell, or Silent Spell. The spell’s level does not change, and once the choice of spell and modification are chosen, they cannot be changed. As the wu jen goes up in level, she can choose the same spell to be modified in different ways with multiple spell secrets. She does not need to know the feat she applies to the spell.

Spellbooks

A wu jen must study her spellbooks each day to prepare her spells, much like a wizard. She cannot prepare any spell not recorded in her spellbook (except for read magic, which all wu jen can prepare from memory). A wu jen begins play with a spellbook containing all 0- level wu jen spells plus three 1st-level spells of your choice. For each point of Intelligence bonus the wu jen has, the spellbook holds one additional 1st-level spell of your choice. At each new wu jen level, she gains two new spells of any spell level or levels that she can cast (based on her new wu jen level). For example, when Hide-yori achieves 5th level, she can cast 3rd-level spells. At this point, she can add two 3rd-level spells to her spellbook, or one 2nd-level spell and one 3rd-level spell, or any combination of two spells between 1st and 3rd level. At any time, a wu jen can also add spells found in other wu jen’s spellbooks to her own, much like a wizard.

Taboos

To maintain their supernatural power, wu jen must abide by certain taboos that might seem inconsequential to other characters but are vitally important to the wu jen. If a wu jen violates one of her taboos, she cannot cast any more spells that day. A wu jen must choose one taboo at 1st level, and one additional taboo every time she learns a spell secret. Possible taboos include:

• Cannot eat meat.
• Cannot own more than she can carry.
• Must make a daily offering (such as food, flowers, or incense) to one or many spirit powers.
• Cannot bathe.
• Cannot cut her hair.
• Cannot touch a dead body.
• Cannot drink alcohol.
• Cannot wear a certain color.
• Cannot light a fire.
• Cannot sit facing in a certain direction.