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Thread: Crystal gazer

  1. #1
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    I dont think this is quite right so I am putting it in to get peoples idea's.

    I thought there was a gem caster prestige class somewhere but i cant find it in the 3rd ed books.

    Requirements: Magician

    Alignment :any
    Base save bonus: fortitude +4
    Skills : craft (gemcutting) +4
    Feats : craft wonderous item

    Special: You must craft a wonderous item attuned gem which allows you to begin the path.
    Class Skills: Concentration, craft (any) , knowledge (any) , profession (any) , spellcraft , scry , alchemy

    skill points at each level: 4 + int modifier

    Class / Base att / fort / ref / will / special / spells per day
    1 +0 +1 +0 +1 Gem attunement / +1 level of class
    Gem component
    2 +1 +1 +0 +2 Improoved spells +1 level of class
    3 +1 +2 +1 +2 Spell boost +1 level of class
    4 +2 +3 +1 +2 1st greater gem focus +1 level of class
    5 +2 +3 +1 +2 +1 level of class
    6 +3 +4 +2 +3 2nd greater gem focus +1 level of class
    7 +3 +4 +2 +3 +1 lev
    8 +4 +4 +2 +4 3rd greater gem focus +1 lev
    9 +4 +5 +2 +5 +1 lev
    10 +5 +5 +2 +6 Master fo mabhaigl +1 lev

    Class Features:

    At each level a new gem must be crafted at increasing cost.

    All spells are cast threw the gems if the gems are lost you can make them again but until you do so you are a common magician.

    Weapon and armour proficiency: no additional.

    Gem Attunement: The crystal gazer can store spells in gems and crystals. Each gem or crystal can hold one spell. This enables you to use scribe scroll to write spells to gems.

    Gem Component: A crystal gazer can replace components with a prepared gem or crystal of equal value to the component it takes 10 minutes to prepare them and they shatter as the spell is cast.

    Improoved spells: The crystal gazer can access wizard spells of 1st and 2nd level that are not normaly available to magicians. When these spells are cast the wizard must make a fort save at DC 10 +spell level to resist paralysis for a number of turns equal to the spell level.

    Spell Boost: You can increase the effective level of spells cast using an attuned gem. Make a fort save at difficulty 15 +spell level or take D3 x spell level in damage.

    Greater Gem focus:
    1: Realm Focus
    Requires a mabhaigl stone to construct
    Allows the crystal gazer to cast a 1st level realm spell once a year.

    2: Wizard focus
    Requires a sielshegh gem to construct
    Allows the wizard access to 3rd level wizard spells like improoved spells.

    3: Gem of spell focus
    Take spell penetration or spell focus as a bonus feat.

    4: Greater gem of spell focus
    Take greater spell focus as a bonus feat

    5: Gem of grounding
    -2 to the diffucalty of the fort saves for the prestige class

    6: others

    Master of mabhaigl:
    The magician gains enough knowledge of the land that they can now learn and cast battle spells . When a battle spell is cast make a fort save at DC 15 + level of spell or suffer d6 x spell level
    MORNINGSTAR

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    curse the formating
    MORNINGSTAR

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    Well there is this gem-focused prestige class but it is for a psionics-using character:

    The Crystal Master

    With magic being as rare as it is, it seems a little strange to see a prestige class like this, but I don't like to stifle creativity so I'll just ask some questions:
    • Prestige Classes don't (to the best of my knowledge) require the character to be of a specific class before being able to take it; why does this one?
    • Since Fortitude saves measure a creature's ability to stand up to massive physical punishments or attacks against their vitality and health, what about this class suggests the need for a base Fortitude save bonus of +4?
    • Wouldn't the Attune Gem item creation feat from Magic of Faerun be more appropriate than Craft Wondrous Item?
    • All this class seems to do is cast spells through gems, why would they need 4 skill points instead of 2?
    • Improved Spells: Aren't all 1st and 2nd level spells normally available to magicians?
    • Spell Boost: Is this supposed to be an effect similar to the Heighten Spell Metamagic Feat?
    • Realm Focus/Gem Focus: Do you think it is wise to give a class an ability that is only useable when using ancient rare artifacts?
    • Gem of Grounding: Shouldn't this be a circumstance bonus to Fortitude saves caused by this Prestige Class?

    Looking forward to your answers!

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    Birthright Developer irdeggman's Avatar
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    1st off no prestige class should have as a prerequisite of being a specific class this is a fundamental precept of prestige classes. Now it is possible write the prequisite such that it greatly favors certain classes, but not at the resitriction of being one. You could make it be non-blooded which would narrow it down some although not eliminate other classes or elves.

    2nd 3.5 removed the scry skill. alchemy is now craft - alchemy

    It requires being blooded in order to cast realm spells, even elves who can normally cast greater magics can't cast realm spells unless they are blooded. No prestige class should bypass this restriction.

    You have a prerequisite of being a magician and then go on to specify wizard in the abilities list.

    What is a "wonderous item attuned gem"? If it is a prequisite then it should be clearly defined what this means.

    I assume you meant +1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class since it is really only about arcane spellcasters.
    Duane Eggert

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    Senior Member RaspK_FOG's Avatar
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    Refer to Magic of Faerûn for atuning with gems.

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    The reason for magician being a prequisite is that magicians are different from wizards an birthright. The crystal gazer trys to chanel more mabhaighl threw the use of attuned gems. An attuned gem is a gem that is shaped to allow the safe flow of mabhaighl. I think its a nice idea to have it bye passed and it is bye pased in one instance in the books in the elven realm in the rjurik book. To take that ability you would have to find an incredibly rare item and it is a once a year use.

    I specify wizard in the special abilitys as the magician can channel more mabhaighl it becomes able to cast certain wizard spells all be it with a risk of damaging its self as it isn't designed to have so much mabhaighl flowing threw it.

    certain prestige classes do require specific classes like the sorcerer class don't believe me look at the books dragon disciple for one.

    they require fortitude as channeling more magic causes damage to thier bodies.

    Attune gem might be a better prequisite i just forgot about it and i will change it most probably this is exactly the sort of thing i was looking for.

    generaly the powers here arent as powerfull as some of the prestige classes the 4 skill points are down to this.

    Improoved spells are there as not all 1st 2nd level spells are available in the playtest.

    The realm focus etc is there along with more usable abilitys as if you knew gem based magic and got hold of one of the ancient artifacts what would you do.(i would have it there are legends of an ancient crystal gazer that has one of the items and the legends say he go do this with it, or if crystal gazers were an order that the head of the order has one.)

    Gem of grounding well frase it however you want it gives you a bonus to fort.

    There are few spellcasters, wizards anyway although in the latter books they sort of say its only that there are very few human wizards the elves have quite a few. However the books do say that magician heavily outnumber wizards so there is no reason not to have a magician prestige class this one , bloodline hound maybe others.

    Also in the old books there seems to be a prestige class for wizards the dragon disciple one in fact just look at the warlock and ohrleck the dragon from the rjurik highlands.

    Forgot about scry being removed as well.

    Thanks for the input.
    MORNINGSTAR

  7. #7
    Birthright Developer irdeggman's Avatar
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    Originally posted by RaspK_FOG@Feb 26 2004, 07:47 PM
    Refer to Magic of Faerûn for atuning with gems.
    Shouldn't make using a FR book a prerequisite to understanding a BR class. Not everyone has them, uses them or plays FR.
    Duane Eggert

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    Okay, I think I see where you're going with this.

    You might want to look at, the Spellfire Channeler Prestige class (also from Magic of Faerun) for ideas. To ensure that the Spellfire Channeler could handle the strain of channeling such raw magical energy they had to take the Endurance feat as one of their prerequisites. Also to represent the strain of channeling it isn't a Fortitude save, but a Constitution check that is required.

    Instead of all the changing multipliers for different checks you might want to think of a simple 1d4 Con damage/level of spell. This would show that magicians aren't suppose to be playing with this kind of power, but could if they REALLY wanted to.

    The dragon disciple doesn't require you to be a sorcerer, it requires you to have the ability to cast arcane spells without preparation. This is actually quite broad. A gnome in 3.x can cast 0-level cantrips, so technically a gnome character could take this class the moment they accumulated 8 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana). It's not just limited to arcane spell casters who spontaneously cast like sorcerers or bards. I would change the racial restrictions to:

    Any non-elf, non-blooded character

    Since a blooded character or elf could channel this energy without such dire consequences.

    As for the 4 skill points/level unless the character has more than a few skills that "belong" to other classes it should be stuck with 2+int/level.

    Fair enough on the Gem of Grounding issue.

    Is Spell Boost supposed to act like Heightened Spell? If so, you might want to think about just giving Crystal Gazer's that feat for free, or requiring it as a pre-requisite.

    I hope these suggestions have been at least a little helpful.

  9. #9
    Actually in the Tomb and Blood, page 55, the Dragon Deciple has the prereq that they must be able to cast arcane spells without preperation, it does not say that they have to be a socerer.

    So maybe have the prereq not be for just magician instead have it just be for a limited non-spontaneous arcane spellcaster, where their class limits their access to arcane spells. This would exclude wizards as their class allows them access to all arcane spells, and specializing is not required for the standard class (tho i noticed that humans are all specialists in BR and elves are all generalists). Along with excluding the bards and sorcerers.

    As magicians are the only class that would realy fit the prereq there ya go heheh.

    **edit**
    Heh, ming beat me to it
    "Who was the first that forged the deadly blade? Of rugged steel his savage soul was made." --Tibullus

    "Qui desiderat pacem praeparet bellum." --Vegetius

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  10. #10
    Birthright Developer irdeggman's Avatar
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    Let's see, since there are only about 3 dozen or so Mebhaighl stones in existance how useful is this really? It seems awful restrictive and not much of a class ability since it is not going to be widely appicable to the class.

    The same can be said of using Sielsheghlien gems. These gems basically gave an increase to an existing bloodline, based on the type of gem which determined what bloodline was held within. So access to spells should proably be more attuned to the bloodline itself, give a specific list of spells associated with each type of gem.

    I like the suggestion that Con damage is the result. Although it shoudl be a greater chance, perhaps an exp cost for casting said spells instead - a hefty one on the order of wishes.
    Duane Eggert

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