Magician (3.5e Prestige Class)

Magician

"Now you see me...poof..."

-Joseph Krown, Human Magician

Magicians are specialists who avoid the use of magic because they have a no magical talents of their own. These clever combatants are experts in manipulating and deceiving their opponents. Often disappearing from sight in a puff smoke, only to reappear again with a knife at his enemies throat. Magicians may not have the strength of arcane magics, but they have a few good tricks up their sleeves.

Becoming a Magician

Entry Requirements

Alignment:	Any alignment.
Skills:	Bluff 5 Ranks, Craft (Alchemy) 2 ranks, Hide 8 Ranks.
Feats:	Quick Draw, Skill Focus (Escape Artist).

Table: The Magician

Hit Die: d6

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+0	+0	+2	+0	Hypnotism, Master Escape Artist, Evasion
2nd	+1	+0	+3	+0	Levitation, Sneak Attack +1d6
3rd	+2	+1	+3	+1	Cunning Evasion
4th	+3	+1	+4	+1	Combat Cloak Expert, Sneak Attack +2d6
5th	+3	+1	+4	+1	Vanishing Act
6th	+4	+2	+5	+2	Sleep-walk Trance, Sneak Attack +3d6
7th	+5	+2	+5	+2	Cape Snatch, Fire Breather
8th	+6	+2	+6	+2	Blind Spot Strike, Sneak Attack +4d6
9th	+6	+3	+6	+3	Shadow Striker, Mass Vanishing Act
10th	+7	+3	+7	+3	Hide in Plain Sight, Sneak Attack +5d6
Class Skills (8 + Int modifier per level) Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Wis), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha), Use Rope (Dex).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Magician.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Magician gains no proficiency in weapons, armor, or shields.

Hypnotism (Ex): As a full round action, the Magician can attempt to hypnotize an adjacent creature using a combination of gestures. Make a Bluff check opposed by the target’s Sense Motive check. On a success, the creature is fascinated, as per the Hypnotic Pattern spell, as long as the Magician takes no actions besides continuing the hypnotism. The creature remains fascinated one round after the Magician stops gesturing. The Magician may communicate freely with the fascinated creature. The Magician may ask questions to the fascinated creature or plant ideas into the creature’s thoughts. To receive information the creature would not normally give, another Bluff check is needed (the fascinated creature receives a -5 penalty to its Sense Motive check while fascinated) (ie: asking the orc where his leader is may not be something the orc wants to tell you). The Magician can also plant ideas into the fascinated creature’s head, convincing it of some truth (or lie) (ie: before disappearing, the Magician tells the orc guard that it has not seen any creatures pass by in the past 2 minutes). Failing a Bluff check by the Magician’s class level to ask a question or plant thoughts will result in the fascination to cease.

Master Escape Artist (Ex): Add the Magician’s level to her Escape Artist checks and half her level to Open Lock checks as competence bonuses. This only applies when the Magician is wearing light armor or carrying a light load.

Evasion (Ex): This ability is identical to the Monk ability of the same name. This only applies when the Magician is wearing light armor or carrying a light load.

Sneak Attack (Ex): This ability is identical to the Rogue ability of the same name.

Cunning Evasion (Ex): The Magician gains Cunning Evasion as a bonus feat (found in the Player’s Handbook II) if she meets the prerequisites. This only applies when the Magician is wearing light armor or carrying a light load.

Combat Cloak Expert (Ex): The Magician gains Combat Cloak Expert (found in the Player’s Handbook II) as a bonus feat at 4th level even if she does not meet the prerequisites. If the Magician has this feat, she gains a bonus feat of her choice.

Levitation (Ex): A 2nd level Magician knows how to whirl her cape just right to mimic the effect of flapping wings. The Magician may hover up to 10 feet into the air above the ground for an indefinite period of time. The Magician falls as if under a Feather Fall spell. This only applies when the Magician is wearing light armor or carrying a light load.

Vanishing Act (Ex): The Magician throws a smoke pellet at the ground. It bursts into an instant conflagration of smoke which dissipates by the end of the Magician’s turn. A 5th level Magician may use the Cunning Evasion feat as if she successfully evades an area attack with the exception that she may make a full move action to dislocate herself and hide instead of the usual 5ft sidestep. This move action consumes 1 smoke pellet (10gp). This only applies when the Magician is wearing light armor or carrying a light load.

Sleep-walk Trance (Ex): A fascinated creature a 6th level Magician hypnotized can now make suggestions like the spell Suggestion with a bluff check. The exception to the suggestion is that the task the Magician wishes the creature to do can be something the creature would not normally do. The suggestion however must be disguised as an action the creature would perform naturally. Giving a suggestion removes the -5 penalty to the creature’s Sense Motive check. The fascinated creature’s senses are hindered to the point that the suggestion induces a day-dream of the creature performing the disguised task as it performs the real task (ie: the magician suggests to the orc that he must serve his boss this cup of delicious wine. The magician hands the orc a cup full of poison and the orc sets off to poison his master…or ie: The Magician suggests to the orc that he should chop some fire wood as he points to another orc. The orc takes a swing at the other orc. The other orc moves out of the way but the fascinated orc keeps chopping the imaginary firewood). The fascination continues until broken or the task is completed.

Fire Breather (Ex): At 7th level, the Magician can put a special mouth guard in her mouth that creates sparks. Combining the sparks with a flask of specially prepared oil, the Magician can produce a fiery breath weapon. The breath weapon extends in a 15ft cone and does 1d6 fire damage for every two levels the Magician has (Reflex save halves damage DC=10+Magician’s Level+CON mod). Objects and creatures that take damage are subject to catching fire. This standard action does not provoke attacks of opportunity and consumes 1 flask of specially prepared conflagration oil (1gp). This special oil is more flammable and produces a hotter flame than normal oil.

Cape Snatch (Ex): A 7th level Magician knows how to manipulate her cape as an extension of her own body. A Magician’s cape has a reach of 10ft. A Magician may use her cape to perform a trip attempt, a disarm attempt, or to retrieve lightweight objects. Objects may be grasped using the cape and displaced to another location within 10ft, thrown, or retrieved with a touch attack. An item the size and weight of a light weapon or smaller and lighter, if retrieved can be concealed in the cape upon ownership with a Sleight of Hand check. This only applies when the Magician is wearing light armor or carrying a light load and is wearing a cape/cloak.

Blind Spot Strike (Ex): At 8th level, a Magician can catch her foes off guard when appearing right next to them before striking. Treat a creature as flat-footed when the attack is made in the same round as a successful Vanishing Act against it.

Mass Vanishing Act (Ex): At 9th level, the Magician can include all friendly creatures within a 5ft radius in her Vanishing Act. Allies in the smokescreen gain an immediate move action. This full-round action consumes 3 smoke pellets.

Shadow Striker (Ex): The Magician gains Shadow Striker (found in the Player’s Handbook II) as a bonus feat at 9th level even if she does not meet the prerequisites. If the Magician has this feat, she gains a bonus feat of her choice.

Hide in Plain Sight (Ex): This ability is identical to the Ranger ability of the same name.

Campaign Information

Playing a Magician

Religion: Magicians do not rely much on their religious beliefs to be successful or enhancing their abilities. Magicians may pray to Gods of stealth and secrets, as they are masters of the hidden arts.

Combat: Magicians usually take the roles of rogue because of their superior Sneak Attack abilities.

Advancement: Rogues and Monks often take levels in Magician because they have a natural ability to evade incoming fire. Fighters and Swashbucklers sometimes seek the hidden mundane arts as well to fool their foes in combat.

Resources: The Magician's Guild is merely a performing troop. They meet to share their own tricks with each other and impress audiences across the plane. Sometimes these groups may take part in under the table activities.

Magicians in the World

“

"My magic relies on secrets."

”

Magicians enjoy impressing others of their ability to do incredible tricks and stunts without the use of magic. Magicians can be found in bars and taverns of large urban areas. They often times make their living off of street performing.

Daily Life: Magicians always live in the shadows of society. They do not like to grab the attention of people unless they are performing.

Notables: Joseph Krown, Male Human Magician: for the past decade, he has worked under the table with traders that pass through the gates of the city to make quick gold.

Organizations: The Magician's Guild can be found during rare meetings in the hidden back room of a tavern. They never want to be seen during their meetings.

NPC Reactions: NPCs usually assume there is magic involved when the magician performs but are baffled to find out that the Magician does the tricks with mundane illusions.

Magician Lore

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

Knowledge (Local)

DC	Result
11	Magicians are stealthy spellcasters.
16	Magicians are stealthy illusionists.
21	Magicians are stealthy illusionists but have no connection to the magical world.
26	A Magician's mundane illusions may be simple, but a magician can scorch you with a deadly breath of fire.

Magicians in the Game

Magicians play the role of expert assassins or stealy re-cons.

Adaptation: Magicians take no extra effort to use in your campaign. It is a basic prestige class for a rogue.

Sample Encounter: NPC magicians can be located at bars and other performing areas in urban cities.

EL whatever: <-Encounter scenario and character info on sample NPC including stat block. The CR of the NPC is typically the same as the EL for the encounter->

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