Force Savant (3.5e Class)

The main contributor(s) of this page determined that this page should be reviewed. Reason: Newly created– other Improving, reviewing, or removing templates may be required. You can help D&D Wiki by reviewing this page. When this page has been reviewed so that this template is no longer applicable please remove this template. If you do not understand how to review this page please leave comments on this page's talk page before making any edits. All pages needing to be reviewed

Force Savant

A Force Savant is a form of mage with a natural inclination towards element-less, force-type magic. The source of this magic is similar to a Warlock or Sorcerer's power, in that their bloodline has been affected by dragon, fey, or fiends. Force Savants don't usually have the blood of these creatures within them, only the lingering effects of some magical exposure. The lack of elemental ties is what leads a Force Savant to experiment first with more generic and aimless force effects, and this usually causes them to develop a strong preference and affinity for this type of magic. Force Savants who take the specialization far enough can affect not only the Material and Ethereal realms on a surface level, but affect them in profound and insightful ways.

Making a Force Savant

A Force Savant can be a powerful combatant due to her force-magic and gravitational manipulation, but the advantages these abilities provide are very often overlooked outside of combat. Force Savants are perfectly capable of providing a part with protection against a variety of natural disasters, and experienced Savants can move themselves and their allies great distances in the blink of an eye. Gravitic lensing can be used to produce makeshift spyglasses, gathering intelligence from afar. The possibilities are nearly endless.

Perhaps most noteworthy is the coexistence of force effects across the material and ethereal planes. Force Savants make excellent exorcists and guards against incorporeal threats, and can even learn to cross the boundary between these realms at will. This allows them to safely study the alien phenomena of the ethereal plane in great detail, and many Force Savants are expert scholars on the subject.

Abilities: A Force Savants most important abilities are Intelligence, which governs the strength of their abilities, and Charisma, which governs the duration of their abilities.

Races: Force Savants can be of any race, although those that wander are more likely to come into contact with the forces that tend to catalyze their development.

Alignment: A Force Savant can be of any alignment.

Starting Gold: 3d4×10 gp (75 gp).

Starting Age: Simple.

Table: The Force Savant

Hit Die: d4

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special	Impulses Known
		Fort	Ref	Will		Trivial	Lesser	Primary	Greater	Grand
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Impulse (Trivial), Force Blast	1	—	—	—	—
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3		1	—	—	—	—
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3		2	—	—	—	—
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Impulse (Lesser)	2	1	—	—	—
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4		3	1	—	—	—
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5		3	2	—	—	—
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Impulse (Primary)	4	2	1	—	—
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6		4	3	1	—	—
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6		4	3	2	—	—
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Impulse (Greater)	4	4	2	1	—
11th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Force Resistance 5	4	4	3	1	—
12th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8	Immunity to Sleep	4	4	3	2	—
13th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8	Impulse (Grand)	4	4	4	2	1
14th	+7/+2	+4	+4	+9	Force Resistance 10	4	4	4	3	1
15th	+7/+2	+5	+5	+9		4	4	4	3	2
16th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10	Darkvision	4	4	4	4	2
17th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10	Force Resistance 20	4	4	4	4	3
18th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11		4	4	4	4	3
19th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	Immunity to Paralysis and Poison	4	4	4	4	4
20th	+10/+5	+6	+6	+12	Ethereal Ascension, Immunity to Force	4	4	4	4	4
Class Skills (3 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Knowledge (Arcana, Nature, The Planes) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Use Magic Device (Cha).

Class Features

A Force Savant casts spells through force of will, but requires knowledge and understanding of her abilities to make the most of them. All of the following are class features of the Force Savant.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Force Savant is proficient with simple weapons, light armor, and shields. However, if she uses a shield, her Impulses will be subject to arcane spell failure.

Impulses (Sp): Force Savants do not prepare or cast standard spells, but instead use spell-like abilities called Impulses. Using an Impulse is a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity and can be disrupted if the Force Savant is attacked while casting. If she is attacked while casting, she is entitled a concentration check in order to successfully use the Impulse. She may also use Impulses defensively to avoid provoking an attack of opportunity, which requires a successful concentration check. A Force Savant's Impulses are subject to spell resistance, unless an Impulse specifically notes otherwise. Her caster level for her Impulses is equivalent to her class level.

The save DC for an Impulse, if it allows a save, is equal to 10 + the equivalent spell level + the Force Savant's Intelligence modifier. Since spell-like abilities are not technically spells, a Force Savant cannot benefit from the Spell Focus feat, but she can utilize the Ability Focus in its place.

The five grades of Impulses, in order of their relative power, are Trivial, Lesser, Primary, Greater, and Grand. Trivial Impulses are considered to be the equivalent of level 1 spells, and each grade after that increases by two equivalent spell levels. A Force Savant begins with the ability to use one Trivial Impulse. As a Force Savant gains levels, she learns to use new Impulses, as summarized on the advancement. Whenever a Force Savant gains a level, she may replace an Impulse that she knows with another Impulse of the same or lower grade.

Although they are spell-like abilities, Impulses are subject to arcane spell failure if the Force Savant wears medium or heavy armor, or uses a shield. If a Force Savant takes the Battle Caster feat from Complete Arcane (pg 75) she may not only wear medium armor without being subject to spell failure, she may use a buckler without being subject to spell failure.

A list of Impulses may be found here.

Force Blast (Sp): While not a true Impulse, a Force Blast works on some of the same principles and can be argued to be the fundamental building block of the Savant's abilities. It is a localized pulse of Force that immediately dissipates outwards, with no structure given to the energy. A Force Blast is generally not powerful enough to do any lasting damage to an opponent without directly striking a vital organ.

A Force Blast takes a standard action to use, and has a range of 50 feet. Make a ranged touch attack against your opponent. This ability threatens a critical hit on a 19-20. On a successful critical hit, you have struck an essential organ within their body and severely disrupted its function: the target takes 2d6 + Int Force damage, and is sickened until the damage is healed. If you threatened a critical hit but did not successfully confirm it, the target takes no damage and is stunned for one round. If your attack roll exceeded your target's armor class by five or more, the target is dazed for one round. Otherwise, a hit on the target renders them nauseated for one round.

Resistance to Force (Ex): By 11th level the Force Savant has learned to mitigate the effects of Force effects used against her, gaining Force resistance 5. At 14th level this increases to Force resistance 10. At 17th level it increases once again, to Force resistance 20.

Immunity to Sleep (Ex): At 12th level the Force Savant takes her first step towards transcending her mortal form, becoming immune to all sleep effects.

Darkvision (Ex): At 16th level the Force Savant becomes more and more an ascended being, gaining darkvision out to 60 feet.

Immunity to Paralysis and Poison (Ex): At 19th level the Force Savant has almost shed her mortal form, gaining immunity to paralysis and poisons.

Ethereal Ascension: At 20th level the Force Savant transcends her mortal form and becomes an Ethereal quasi-elemental. Her type changes to Elemental. She no longer needs to eat, sleep, or breathe. She gains an elemental creatures immunity to stunning, and she is no longer subject to extra damage from critical hits or flanking. She also undergoes a physical change in appearance: her skin and hair pale to an eerie white or pale grey, and her veins pulse with a violet energy. Unlike a normal elemental, a Force Savant retains a soul separate from her body. She can be raised from the dead as per normal for a creature of her previous type.

Immunity to Force (Ex): At 20th level, after ascending to a quasi-elemental form, the Force Savant is completely immune to Force damage.

Epic Force Savant

Table: The Epic Force Savant

Hit Die: d4

Level	Special
21st	<-any improvements to class features gained at this level, including any bonus feats->
22nd	<-any improvements to class features gained at this level, including any bonus feats->
23rd	<-any improvements to class features gained at this level, including any bonus feats->
24th	<-any improvements to class features gained at this level, including any bonus feats->
25th	<-any improvements to class features gained at this level, including any bonus feats->
26th	<-any improvements to class features gained at this level, including any bonus feats->
27th	<-any improvements to class features gained at this level, including any bonus feats->
28th	<-any improvements to class features gained at this level, including any bonus feats->
29th	<-any improvements to class features gained at this level, including any bonus feats->
30th	<-any improvements to class features gained at this level, including any bonus feats->
3 + Int modifier skill points per level.

Impulses: A Force Savant does not learn additional Impulses past level 20, but whenever a Force Savant gains a level she may still replace an Impulse that she knows with another Impulse of the same or lower grade.

Bonus Feats: The epic Force Savant gains a bonus feat (selected from the list of epic Force Savant bonus feats) every three levels after 20th.

Epic Force Savant Bonus Feat List: Bypass Self-Immunity, Epic Spell Penetration, Epic Will, Great Charisma, Great Intelligence, Improved Combat Casting, Tenacious Magic.

Half-Elf Force Savant Starting Package

Weapons: Dagger.

Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 3 + Int modifier.

Skill	Ranks	Ability	Armor Check Penalty
Concentration	4	Con	—
Craft	4	Int	—
Diplomacy	4	Cha	—
Knowledge (Arcana)	4	Int	—
Knowledge (Nature)	4	Int	—
Knowledge (The Planes)	4	Int	—
Listen	4	Wis	—
Profession	4	Wis	—
Spellcraft	4	Int	—
Spot	4	Wis	—
Use Magic Device	4	Cha	—

Feat: Ability Focus (Impulse Discharge).

Gear: Padded armor.

Gold: 75gp.

Campaign Information

Playing a Force Savant

Religion: <-description of how this class typically (but no exclusively) approaches religion including likely portfolios it would worship->.

Other Classes: <-How this class typically interacts with other classes and how characters of this class interact with characters of other classes->.

Combat: The unique nature of a Force Savant's abilities means that they are excellent defensive casters. They can protect their party by warding against attacks, redirecting the enemy's projectiles, and denying the enemy strategic ground. Offensively, a Force Savant is not as flashy or outright damaging as many other casters but has the unique ability to bypass many physical defenses which are utterly ineffective against their point-based attacks.

Advancement: Force Savants rarely multiclass, and when they do it is usually to gain some physical abilities to complement their specialized magic. Force Savants have a wide variety of Impulses available to them, but can only effectively specialize in a small number of them; thus, two different Force Savants may have very different roles in their parties.

Force Savants in the World

“	You look at the world and see immutable laws of nature. I look at the world, and see that we don't have to fall down.	”
—Alessandar Rimmon, Half-Elvish Force Savant

<-Where characters of this class fit in a d20 world.->

Daily Life: A normal day includes meditation, this prevents 'accidents'. Followed shortly by any racial routines. A Savant could be mistaken for being normal unless you do one of the following; A.) Piss them off. B.) Ask them for something simple. C.) Talking to them.

NPC Reactions: Pity, Largely speaking.

Force Savant Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) can research Force Savants to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Knowledge (Arcana)

DC	Result
5	Force Savants are specialists in non-elemental magic.
10	Force Savants specialize in force effects and take the discipline much further than the standard magic missile. Experienced Savants have been known to manipulate fundamental forces such as gravity.
15	Force Savants utilize spell-like abilities called Impulses to cause localized effects. They can do this from a distance, without a noticeable projectile of any sort, by reaching through the Ethereal Plane.
20	Truly exemplary Force Savants become an otherworldly creature akin to an elemental, bound to the fundamental forces they manipulate. Although not truly an elemental since they lack a tie to an elemental plane, they are similar in many respects and have a strong connection to the Ethereal Plane.

Force Savants in the Game

<-How characters of this class fit in the game (PC and NPC) and what roles they play.->

Adaptation: <-Possible variant conceptions of this class.->.

Sample Encounter: <-DM placement for NPCs of this class.->.

---

Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Classes → Base Classes -->