Sorcerer (Apath)
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Spells
Bloodlines
Sorcerers get their bloodline bonus spells one level earlier than normal, at even levels. This means sorcerers never have only a single spell to choose from at a certain level.
Battle sorcerers and bloodline knights with bloodlines that add new spells to the sorcerer spell list instead add those spells to the magus spell list. See those articles for details.
Aether Bloodline
Your life and powers are tied to the transitive planes, the astral and ethereal. Perhaps your powers come from a merger with an incorporeal astral spirit, or you became partially ethereal at some time in the past. Regardless, it has left you with a predisposition for force effects that pierce the barrier between the planes.
Aether Class Skills
Knowledge (Dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (Religion) (Int).
Aether Bonus Spells
Shield (3rd), see invisible (5th), diamond spray (7th), dimensional anchor (9th), wall of force (11th), mage's sword (13th), ethereal jaunt (15th), etherealness (17th), astral projection (19th).
Aether Bonus Feats
Dimensional Agility, Disruptive Spell, Ectoplasmic Spell, Heighten Spell, Intensified Spell, Reach Spell, Selective Spell, Toppling Spell
Aether Bloodline Arcana
Any time you use a spell with the Force descriptor or a spell affected by the Ectoplasmic spell metamagic feat, you ignore any cover or concealment a target may have against your attack. You still cannot attack a target with total cover. You must guess in what square an unseen target is before attacking.
Aether Bloodline Powers
Your bloodline expands your power into the astral and ethereal realms.
Force bolt (Sp): Starting at 1st level, you can fire an force ray as a standard action, targeting any foe within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. The force ray deals 1d6 points of force damage + 1 for every two sorcerer levels you possess. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
Ghost touch (Su): At 3rd level, the aether sorcerer can touch a piece of gear (usually a weapon or set of armor) and grant it the ghost touch property. This ability can be used a number of times each day equal to the sorcerer's Charisma modifier, and each use lasts for 10 minutes.
Force Focus (Su): At 9th level, any spell with the [Force] descriptor has it's save DC increased by +1 and gains a +2 bonus on any attack roll made with it, as appropriate to each spell.
Pierce the Veil (Sp): At 15th level, an aether sorcerer can use true seeing as a spell-like ability for one minute per level per day. These minutes do not need to be consecutive, but they must be spent in 1-minute increments.
Fade to Grey (Su): At 20th level, an aether sorcerer can fade from the world. The sorcerer becomes incorporeal for 1 minute per sorcerer level. He gains the incorporeal subtype and take only half damage from corporeal magical attacks (no damage from nonmagical weapons and objects). The aether sorcerer's spells and magical attacks deal only half damage to corporeal creatures, but spells and abilities that do not deal damage function normally. The duration need not be continuous, but it must be used in 1-minute increments. Force effects and ectoplasmic spells still function normally.
Arcane Bloodline
If using the Metamagic house rules from Apath, much of the Arcane bloodline's abilities become redundant and needs to be updated.
Modified Arcane Bloodline Abilities
Metamagic Adept (Ex): At 3rd level, you become skilled at modifying spells with metamagic. When a you apply a metamagic feat, you reduce the metamagic feat’s spell level adjustment by 1. Thus, applying a Metamagic feat like Still Spell to a spell does not change its effective spell level at all, while applying Quicken Spell only increases the spell’s effective spell level by 3 instead of by 4. This reduction to the spell level adjustment for Metamagic feats does not stack with similar reductions from other abilities. You can use this ability once per day at 3rd level and one additional time per day for every four sorcerer levels you possess beyond 3rd, up to five times per day at 19th level. You can only apply it once to any given spell. At 20th level, this ability is replaced by arcane apotheosis.
Arcane Apotheosis (Ex): At 20th level, your body surges with arcane power. You can add any metamagic feats that you know to your spells, always using the Metamagic Adept ability. Whenever you use magic items that require charges, you can instead expend spell slots to power the item. For every three levels of spell slots that you expend, you consume one less charge when using a magic item that expends charges.
Adventuring Bloodline
You come from a long line of adventurers, survivors of monster attacks and strange magical events. Like your forebears, you strive to survive by your own skill and wit, but the mystical events of the past have put an undeniable mark of power on you.
Adventuring Bloodline Class Skills
Acrobatics (Dex), Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Fly (Dex), Forgery (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (any) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skills in italics are new class skills to this bloodline.
Skill Points at each level: 6 + Int modifier.
Adventuring Bloodline Bonus Spells
Mage armor (3rd), find traps (as a 2nd level sorcerer spell) (5th), haste (7th), arcane eye (9th), telepathic bond (11th), getaway (13th), mage's magnificent mansion (15th), binding (17th), freedom (19th).
Adventuring Bloodline Bonus Feats
Adventurer bloodline sorcerers have no bloodline feats, gaining more class skills instead.
Adventuring Bloodline Arcana
Adventurer bloodline sorcerers have no bloodline arcana, gaining more class skills instead.
Adventuring Bloodline Powers
Adventurer bloodline sorcerers have no bloodline powers, gaining more class skills instead.
Artifice Bloodline
Your powers derive from your understanding of the world, physics, and mechanisms. You might have some gnome blood, come from a long line of engineers, or traps played an important part in the fate of you or your family.
Artifice Class Skills
Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Fly (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (engineering) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skills in italics are added to the artificer's list of class skills. Artifice sorcerers gain 4 skill points per level.
Artifice Bonus Spells
Gravity bow (3rd), acid arrow (5th), rusting grasp (as a 3rd level Sorcerer spell) (7th), named bullet (9th), animate object (as a 5th level sorcerer spell) (11th), major creation (13th), simulacrum (15th), iron body (17th), wooden phalanx (19th).
Artifice Bonus Feats
Artifice bloodline sorcerers have no bloodline feats, gaining more class skills instead.
Artifice Bloodline Arcana
The two extra skill points per level noted under class skills replaces the artifice sorcerer's bloodline arcana.
Artifice Bloodline Powers
Your bloodline is tied to skill more than power, enabling you to work magic with traps, locks, and devices.
Trapfinding (Su): A artifice sorcerer adds 1/2 her level to Perception skill checks made to locate traps and to Disable Device skill checks (minimum +1). A artifice sorcerer can use Disable Device to disarm magic traps.
Telekinetic Tinkering (Sp): At 3rd level, an artifice sorcerer can use the Disable Device skill at close range (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels), and no longer need tools - this ability replaces masterwork tools and provides the +2 bonus given by masterwork tools. This ability can also be used with an immediate action to set off any known trap within range. Against a trap that the artifice sorcerer has set herself or bypassed using Disable Device, this is automatic. Against a trap which is known but not bypassed, including one the artifice sorcerer has disabled herself, it requires a Disable Device check against the disarm difficulty of the trap.
Trap Sense (Su): At 9th level, an artifice sorcerer gains an magical sense that alerts her to danger from traps, giving her a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. These bonuses rise to +2 when the artifice sorcerer reaches 12th level, to +3 when she reaches 15th level, and to +4 at 18th level. Trap sense bonuses gained from multiple classes stack.
At 15th level (Su): At 15th level, XXX.
This is a work in progress.
Immune to Traps (Su): At 20th level, A artifice sorcerer never triggers traps-it is as if she did not exist as far as the trap is concerned. When she normally would, she can instead make a Perception check to notice the trap. She can still deliberately trigger a trap. She gains an SR of 11 + sorcerer level against the effects of magical traps triggered deliberately or by others.
Divine Bloodline
You carry the power of the divine in your blood-perhaps you are the result of a divine indiscretion, or perhaps your ancestors have been longstanding servants of the divine.
Divine Bloodline Class Skill
Knowledge (religion) (Int)
Bonus Spells
You gain the spells of your chosen domain, see bloodline arcana below. These become sorcerer spells for you, of the same level they would have been as domain spells. You gain the 1st level domain spell at level 3, and another domain spell for every two levels after level 3. You must satisfy any divine focus requirement of these spells, but you can use a personal symbol as a divine focus if you prefer.
Divine Bloodline Bonus Feats
Alignment Channel, Command Undead, Concussive spell, Consecrated Spell, Dazing Spell, Ectoplasmic Spell, Martial Weapon Proficiency, Turn Undead.
Divine Bloodline Arcana
Pick one domain among those available to clerics. You gain the 1st level domain power of this domain, replacing any reference to Wisdom in the domain power with Charisma. The chosen domain also determines your bonus spells and many of your bloodline powers.
You can only choose an alignment domain if you share that alignment. If you later change your alignment so that you no longer qualify, you may then select another alignment domain.
Divine Bloodline Powers
Channeling Touch (Su): You can release energy by channeling the power of your divine ancestry by touch. This energy can be used to cause or heal damage, depending on the type of energy channeled and the creatures targeted.
A good divine bloodline sorcerer channels positive energy and can choose to deal damage to undead creatures or to heal living creatures. An evil divine bloodline sorcerer channels negative energy and can choose to deal damage to living creatures or to heal undead creatures. A neutral divine bloodline sorcerer must choose whether she channels positive or negative energy. Once this choice is made, it cannot be reversed unless you change alignment. Unlike the cleric’s channel energy ability, this only affects a single touched target, but there is no saving throw.
Channeling touch only affects one creature touched and requires a touch attack against an unwilling target. The amount of damage dealt or healed is equal to 1d6 points of damage plus 1d6 points of damage for every two divine bloodline sorcerer levels beyond 1st (2d6 at 3rd, 3d6 at 5th, and so on). Creatures healed by channel energy cannot exceed their maximum hit point total—all excess healing is lost. A divine bloodline sorcerer may channel energy a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier. This is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. A divine bloodline sorcerer can affect herself with this power.
A divine bloodline sorcerer must be able to present her divine focus to use this ability, and can use the ability with channeling feats, but only affect a single target touched when using channeling touch with channel feats. Channeling feats that allow saving throws have a saving thow DC of 10 + ½ your sorcerer level + your Charisma modifier.
Divine Spell Gift: At 2nd level, and every two levels after second level, you can add one cleric spell to your spell list and to your list of known spells. This becomes a sorcerer spell for you of the same level as it's normal cleric spell level. This must be a spell you can currently cast. These spells cannot be of an alignment opposite to your own.
Domain Power: At 9th level, you learn the second domain power of your chosen domain. You use this as outlined for your first domain power in your bloodline arcana.
Quickened Channeling Touch (Su): At 15th level, you can use your channeling touch bloodline power as a swift action.
Apotheosis (Su): At 20th level, you are imbued with divine essence. Your type changes to outsider (native) and you get to choose a subtype of outsider appropriate to your alignment, gaining the abilities typical of all creatures of this subtype.
Nature's Wrath Bloodline
You experienced some dramatic event, when you were completely at the mercy of nature but survived. Perhaps you grew up under the care of wild animals. This taught you about nature's wrath.
Nature's Wrath Bloodline Class Skills
Handle Animal (Cha) and Survival (Wis).
Bonus Spells
Magic fang (as a 1st level sorcerer spell) (3rd), call Lightning (as a 2nd level sorcerer spell) (5th), greater magic fang (as a 3rd level sorcerer spell) (7th), call lightning storm (as a 4th level sorcerer spell) (9th), fire snake (11th), tar pool (13th), control weather (15th), wall of lava (17th), tsunami (19th).
Nature's Wrath Bloodline Bonus Feats
Augment Summoning, Diehard, Empower Spell, Endurance, Reach Spell, Skill Focus (Intimidate), Toughness, Widen Spell.
Nature's Wrath Bloodline Arcana
Add summon nature's ally I to IX to your spell list as sorcerer spells of their druid spell level. You do not automatically know these spells, they are just added to your spell list but must be learned like any other sorcerer spell. You also gain low-light vision.
Nature's Wrath Bloodline Powers
Magic is as natural to you as the lightning bolt or the forest fire, and you also have a certain affinity for nature's creatures - as hunting partners and as prey.
Companion Bond (Ex): At 1st level, you gain an animal companion, like the one gained from the druid's nature bond of a druid equal to your sorcerer level. Your sorcerer levels stack with any druid levels you possess when determining the powers of your animal companion. You cannot choose to pick a domain instead of an animal companion.
Primal Power (Ex): At 3rd level, you can add any one spell from the druid spell list to your list of spells known as a sorcerer spell of its druid spell level. This spell must be of a level that you are capable of casting, and you cannot pick spells of the healing subtype. You can also add one additional spell at 7th, 11th, 15th level and 19th level.
Nature's Aloftness (Su): At 9thlevel, you and your animal companion are immune to damage from your own spells. You and your animal companion can stand in a firball or wall of fire of your own making without harm.
Natural Wrath (Ex): At 15th level, your powers become even more a part of nature. You gain a +4 bonus on caster level checks to penetrate spell resistance.
Untouchable by Nature (Su): At 20th level, you and your animal companion gain resistance 20 to electricity, fire, and cold. Any spell you cast doing damage of these types do an additional point of damage per die. You ignore difficult terrain and wind effects.
Saher Bloodline
The saher bloodline carries a birthright of lordship over genies, and to a lesser degree other outsiders. Not a genie yourself, your instead carry great respect with such creatures.
This was previously the Sha'ir archetype, which is now obsolete. It is also similar to the Shugenja and Shaman classes as well as the Spirit Bloodline below - each is an expression of a magic heritage with spirits.
Saher Bloodline Class Skill
Knowledge (Planes) (Int)
Saher Bloodline Bonus Spells
Mount (3rd), see invisible (5th), dismissal (7th), lesser planar binding (9th), banishment (11th), planar binding (13th), limited wish (15th), greater planar binding (17th), wish (19th).
Saher Bloodline Bonus Feats
Craft Wondrous Item, Dazing Spell, Elemental Spell, Extend Spell, Heighten Spell, Lingering Spell, Quicken Spell, Selective Sepll, Widden Spell.
Saher Bloodline Arcana
The saher can detect genies and the works of genies at will. This works like detect undead except that it detects genies or the lingering aura of places they have been or had an effect on. A saher can, as a move action, concentrate on a single item or individual within 60 feet and determine if it is a genie or has been in contact with genies, learning the strength of its aura as if having studied it for 3 rounds. While focusing on one individual or object, the saher does not detect genies in any other object or individual within range.
Saher Bloodline Powers
Zhyen Familiar (Ex): At 1st level all saher can call upon elemental familiars, known as a zhyen. Summoning a zhyen is a 1-hour ritual and each saher can only have one zhyen at a time. If a zhyen is slain or dismissed, a new one can immediately be summoned, but a saher must wait one week before summoning a zhyen of the same type as one who died. If several zhyens die in quick succession, it is possible for the saher to run out of options.
There are four kinds of zhyen, each tied to one of the classic four elements. All are neutral in alignment, but have alignment tendencies. Dinnlings (air zhyens) are pale blue and white, playful and mischievous and tend towards chaos and good. Ifri (fire zhyens) are reddish, brick red to bright orange, energetic and aggressive and tend toward law and evil. Maridans (water zhyens) are are deep sea greens and blues, with dark green or white details, humorous and eloquent and tend towards chaos. Geno (earth zhyens) are have earth colors, ranging from pale dun sand to various gaily colored semiprecious stones. They are artistic but greedy and tend towards law. A zhyen's appearance is decided when it is bound; either the standard miniature genie form or as tiny animals, always with a color scheme appropriate to their element.
Zhyens do not provide the Alertness feat or any skill bonuses to their masters like normal familiars do. Instead, while in in the same space as their master, zhyens provide a +2 bonus on saving throws of the zhyen's type and the save DC of the sahers own spells of the same type increase by +2. Dinnlings give this bonus against spells of the air subtype or that deal electricity damage. Ifri provide this bonus against spells of the fire subtype or effects that deal fire damage. Madidans provide this bonus against spells of the water subtype or effects that deal cold damage. Geno provide this bonus against spells of the earth subtype or effects that deal acid damage. Finally, a Sha'ir gets a +2 bonus on Charisma skills and Charisma (including planar binding) against genies tied to the same element as his zhyen.
Zhyen Spells (Ex): At 3rd level the zhyen can provide the saher with spell knowledge of one spell on the sorcerer/wizard spell list. Ordering the zhyen to find a spell is a standard action for the Sha'ir and a full-round action for the zhyen, which immediately disappears into the elemental planes as if using plane shift only to return on the saher's next turn, ideally with the requested spell. If the plane shift is prevented, the ability fails. Each round the zhyen is attempting to find a spell the saher makes a Concentration check (normally d20 + class level + Cha modifier) against a DC depending on the spell sought.
| Condition | DC |
| Each level of spell | 5 |
| Spell is not of the zhyen's element (or damage type) | +5 |
| Each earlier spell retrieved since the last spell preparation | +5 |
If the roll succeeds, the zhyen returns with the desired spell. If this roll fails, the zhyen returns empty-handed. If this roll fails by a margin of 10, the zhyen is killed looking for the spell, and never returns.
After a zhyen successfully retrieves a spell, the saher can cast this spell as if it was a known spell as long as the zhyen is in the sha'iir's space. A zhyen sent after a new spell immediately loses any spell it had previously retrieved.
Genie Prison (Sp): At level 9, sahers can use binding at will, but only against genies. Each attempt is a full-round action and the save DC is 10 + ½ the saher's class level + the saher's Charisma modifier. Note that this save DC is reduced for the more portable kinds of binding, as per the spell. A genie the saher attempts to bind automatically becomes hostile, but once bound its willingness to serve increases; add +4 to the saher's Charisma checks to negotiate with a bound genie. A genie prison also eliminates the genie's daily chance to escape inherent in a planar binding-type spell.
Using this power affects your standing among genies; for each genie of a particular element you have ever imprisoned this way, you suffer a -1 modifier on Charisma rolls to bind all other genies tied to that element. This modifier does not apply to negotiations with imprisoned genies, who are desperate for release and anyway cut off from the rumor mill. The count of bound genies can only be reset by using the genie ruler audience ability.
Task Genie : At 15th level, when using a planar binding spell to compel the services of a genie, the service can be permanent. A genie in permanent service must always have an escape clause, but this can be something that never happens, like "when the sun sets in the east". Genies are very good at ferreting out situations where such impossible conditions come to pass, and enjoy this kind of challenge.
Genie Ruler Audience (Sp): At 20th level, a saher can seek and receive an audience with the rulers of jann, djinn, shaitan, marid, or efreet — truly a great honor. A saher can seek an audience once per day, whether the reason is great or small. The saher (and any comanions) is whisked into the genie lord's presence as if by a gate spell, and returns to the same spot after the audience in the same way. It is possible to return under your own power, using the audience as a convenient escape from a dangerous situation.
Genie rulers can answer questions with a Knowledge (Planes) skill of +40, focused on their elemental plane and are glad to advise those who are seeking to deal with genies. They can issue rulings on the actions of other genies of their element, including issuing pardons for genie binding. If the saher reports a crime committed by a lesser genie, a genie ruler can summon that creature for immediate judgment, provided the lesser genie’s name or description is known. Genie rulers bargain about these favors, and might demand wealth or services in return, especially if the saher has a poor reputation.
Spirit Bloodline
As a sorcerer of the spirit bloodline you hail from one of a myriad of mischievous spirits. Your magic comes from the uncountable entities of the spirit world - as a result your magic is very flexible, but you lack the bloodline gifts of a normal sorcerer.
Spirit Bloodline Class Skills
Knowledge (Nature) (Int) and Knowledge (Planes) (Int).
Spirit Bloodline Bonus Spells
None
Spirit Bloodline Bonus Feats
Bouncing Spell, Coaxing Spell, Dazing Spell, Disruptive Spell, Ectoplasmic Spell, Heighten Spell, Lingering Spell, Rime Spell, Selective Spell, Threnodic Spell.
Spirit Bloodline Arcana
A you can change the spells you know each day. You retrieve her spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour bargaining with the spirits. When you bargain with spirits you retrieve knowledge of the specific sorcerer spells you will be able to use that day. Once this is done you can cast any spell you have retrieved at any time, assuming you has not yet used up your spells per day for that spell level.
3rd-level spirit bloodline sorcerer can retrieve three 0-level, two 1st-level, and one 2nd-level sorcerer spells. She can cast 0-level spells five limes, 1st-level spells four times, and her 2nd-level spell two times in the course of the day. She might end up using the same 0-level spell five times, or one 0-level spell two times and another 0-level spell three times, or any combination that adds up to five uses of any of her 0-level spells.
Metamagic
If a you know any metamagic feats, you apply them to your spells when you retrieve them for the day.
A spirit sorcerer might choose to retrieve an empowered fireball by using a 5th-level spell retrieved slot. Any time she uses fireball during the ensuing day, she must use a 5th-level spell slot to cast it, and it is always empowered. A spirit sorcerer could use a 3rd-level spell slot and a 5th-level spell slot to retrieve fireball and empowered fireball if she wanted to have both spells available to her in a day.
You can't choose to alter your spells with metamagic feats on the fly, as other spontaneous casters do. When using metamagic feats you do not have an increased casting time as other sorcerers do.
Spirit Bloodline Powers
You have no bloodline powers.
Wildcard Bloodline
Your very existence relies on chance. That you were even conceived is a freak accident, and your life has been a long line of strange coincidences. You have learned to stack the deck in your favor.
Wildcard Bloodline Class Skill
Sleight of Hand (Dex).
Wildcard Bloodline Bonus Spells
A wildcard sorcerer does not learn any bonus spells.
Wildcard Bloodline Bonus Feats
Bouncing Spell, Greater Spell Focus, Greater Spell Penetration, Persistent Spell, Selective Spell, Spell Focus, Spell Penetration.
Wildcard Bloodline Arcana
Each day when preparing spells, the wildcard sorcerer may exchange one of his current known spells for another. All normal rules apply to what spells he can learn and the spell must be of the same level as the one it replaces and from the sorcerer spell list.
Wildcard Bloodline Powers
You trust your luck and have tied your powers to the draw of cards. And you learn to cheat.
You make a deck of spells that you can cast randomly. These are sorcerer spells, but need not be spells known to you. Actually writing the names and pertinent details of the spells of your deck makes a handy prop for this ability. When preparing the deck, you follow these rules.
- Pick one spell of the highest level you can cast.
- Pick two spells of the next-highest level of spells you can cast.
- Pick three spells of two levels lower than the highest you can cast.
- No spell can be on this list more than once.
- All spells in the deck must have a casting time of one standard action and may not have a costly material component. Any other components the spell has are ignored. The spell instead has a somatic components (drawing the card) and a focus component (the card itself).
- As you gain the ability to cast spells of new spell levels, you remove spells who are now of too low level to qualify and add new spells to fill out the deck.
- When you gain a level as a wildcard sorcerer without learning a new level of spells, you can rebuild your deck at will, following the above rules.
- The deck contains spells of level zero and up. You can't add spells of a negative level, so you don't get your full deck of 6 spells until you can cast second level spells.
Luck of the Draw (Sp): At 1st level, as a standard action, you can pull a card from this deck. Before the end of your current turn, you can cast the spell on the card once as a free action. Do not return the card to the deck. You can continue to use this ability until you are out of cards. Return all used spells when you prepare spells.
Double Draw (Sp): At 3rd level, as a standard action, your can draw two cards from your deck and select one of them to use. Return the other card. It is traditional to draw one card from the top of the pile, and the other from the bottom, but this is not required.
Quick Card (Sp): At 9th level, you can draw a card from your deck as a swift action and then have the option to use it as a free action.
Jack in the Hole (Ex): At 15th level, you can make an informed selection of any one card from your power deck and use it as a standard action.
Shuffle Deck (Su): At 20th level, you can return all used cards to your deck of power cards and shuffle the deck. This is a full-round action.
Old Versions
External Links
- Sorcerer at www.d20pfsrd.com
- Sorcerer Guide