Sauromancer (3.5e Class)

Sauromancer

Every great land has elite mages and Paludia is no exception. Magic is a powerful force, full of awe and mystery, and holds the promise to great power beyond that of the everyday world. Mages throughout the world often share the attribute of being above, beyond, or otherwise separate from the common workings of their land. The sauromancers, like other elite mages, keep to their own orders, and don't give away knowledge quickly or easily. In a land of chaos and ignorance, the sauromancers represent a kind of intelligentsia which can prove vital to the land's survival. Sauromancers are greatly respected and feared in a great many magic circles. They are dedicated to the defense of themselves and of Paludia itself; without them, horrible magical threats such as dragons or extraplanar beings could have wiped out Paludia's lizardfolk long ago.

The sauromancer order is not monolithic. Their ultimate goal is to preserve Paludia's lizardfolk, and they have appointed themselves as guardians of the race. This is accomplished by different means. The majority of the sauromancers are of the black-robed variety; they believe in keeping the realms of wizardry and divinity separate. While all orders of sauromancers have some religious status due to the belief that their duty is sacred, only the other major order, that of the red-robed variety, actually mixes wizardry and divinity. Another difference between the orders is how one joins them. The red-robed sauromancers expect their trainees to do much studying and learning, while the black-robed sauromancers put their trainees through a series of trials and have extremely strict rules. Once the trainees pass the test, they are given more latitudes.

The powers wielded by the sauromancers are great and varied. The black-robed order uses powers of life, death, and water, while the red-robed order uses powers of death and fire. This is so because of two different mindsets; while both orders wish to preserve what they have, the black-robed sauromancers look to the future for opportunity, while the red-robed sauromancers seek to unlock hidden powers of the past in order to secure their position. Fighting between the two orders is rare but not unheard of as the necessity of survival forces these mages to put their differences aside. Individual sauromancers are frequently hired out and sometimes even set against each other, but the orders as a whole rarely fight each other.

In addition to the two orders listed above, there has been a small group of sauromancers who seek to tap into the power of death itself. These sauromancers are outcasts from the rest of the sauromancers, as their obsession with death has far outstripped their devotion to the survival of the lizardfolk. These sauromancers are very few in number, and can be recognized at gatherings by their indigo (a shade of purple) and white robes, which indicate their "kingship" over death (indigo being a royal color in societies with access to rare dyes.)

Unlike almost all other lizardfolk, the sauromancers have the ability to see beyond their immediate surroundings, and are more than able to put ideological interests over their own personal concerns. Their concern for the survival of the race as a whole is the most important thing to them, and they are willing to do anything to reach that end. Other lizardfolk can afford to fight with each other over petty concerns, but not these mages; they are the hidden insurance of the Paludian lizardfolk. They protect Paludia without telling anyone that they are, as they don't want the lizardfolk becoming dependent on them for defense. Their motives are best kept shrouded in mystery.

Among the few who know of the sauromancer's motives are the lizardfolk priests of the old kingdom's order. While their empire may have fallen, their own priestly order lives on. Back in the times of the first king, they made an agreement with the sauromancers; that while the sauromancers would help ensure the survival of the lizardfolk race by magical means, the priests would use their abilities to reach that end as well. This meant that the priests had to do everything they could to ensure that peace between the lizardfolk and various divine agencies was maintained, but it also meant that the priests would have to preach and promote a means of living which was conducive to the survival and propagation of the species.

The sauromancers will not intervene if any tribe of lizardfolk is killed off, nor will they attempt to stop most wars, disasters, or plagues. The only things which can move them to collective action are of such magnitude that the entire race of lizardfolk in Paludia would be in great danger. Otherwise, they act in the background; observing, making contingency plans, advancing their arcane art, and crafting magical artifacts which they can use should the need arise.

Making a Sauromancer

Sauromancers don't often join adventuring parties, but when they do, their role is essentially that of a wizard or sorcerer.

Abilities: Like all mages, wisdom and intelligence are important attributes for sauromancers.

Gender: Male only.

Race: While it is hypothetically possible for other races to learn the magic of the sauromancers, in practical terms, lizardfolk are the only ones who have this class.

Alignment: Any non-chaotic, non-good; most frequently neutral.

Starting Gold: 1d4×10 gp (25 gp).

Starting Age: Complex.

Table: The Sauromancer

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
						0th	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2		3	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3		4	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3		4	2	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4		4	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Bonus feat	4	3	2	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5		4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5		4	4	3	2	1	—	—	—	—	—
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6		4	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—	—
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6		4	4	4	3	2	1	—	—	—	—
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Bonus feat	4	4	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—
11th	+5	+3	+3	+7		4	4	4	4	3	2	1	—	—	—
12th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8		4	4	4	4	3	3	2	—	—	—
13th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8		4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	—	—
14th	+7/+2	+4	+4	+9		4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	—	—
15th	+7/+2	+5	+5	+9	Bonus feat	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	—
16th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10		4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	—
17th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10		4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1
18th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11		4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2
19th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11		4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3
20th	+10/+5	+6	+6	+12	Bonus feat	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4

Class Skills (2 + Int modifier, x4 at lst level)
Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the sauromancer.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Sauromancers are proficient with the club, dagger, and quarterstaff, but not with any type of armor or shield. Armor of any type interferes with a sauromancer’s movements, which can cause his spells with somatic components to fail.

Spells: A sauromancer casts arcane spells which are drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list, and must prepare them ahead of time, like a wizard. He always has some skill in necromancy, so that cannot be a prohibited school.

Black Sauromancer:The most common form of Sauromancer, their powers involve Divination. They count as having the feat, Spell Focus: Divination, without having to choose another school to be forbidden.

Red Sauromancer: Red Sauromancers channel the powers of fire. They count their caster level of being one higher for any spell they cast that cause fire damage.

Indigo Sauromancer: Indigo Sauromancers are the rarest, yet some of the most terrifying Sauromancers. They seek power over life, and death. They are able to pull from the Bard's spell list as well as the Wizards/Sorcerors spell list.

Campaign Information

Playing a Sauromancer

Sauromancers rarely join adventuring parties. If they do, it is to advance their own agenda, find a new source of power or knowledge, or in some other way help their overall goal of helping the lizardfolk survive and thrive.

Religion: Like most lizardfolk, the sauromancers have a great respect for Semuanya. The red-robed order wields priestly powers as well as magic, and is thus have an even closer connection to Semuanya and the divine than the black-robed order.

Other Classes:

Combat: Sauromancers are dangerous opponents in combat, as their spells tend to be offensive.

Advancement:

Sauromancers in the World

“	Sauromancers aren't like other lizardfolk; they have a plan and are intent on pursuing it, no matter the cost	”
—A well-versed blackscale chief

Daily Life

Sauromancers spend much of their time advancing their magical skills. They wish to be prepared for whatever may happen to Paludia in the future; the last thing they want is for some unknown threat to catch them off-guard and defenseless.

Organizations

Black Sauromancers: The most common variety of sauromancers, the black robed mages of Paludia generally set the standard for sauromancer behavior and practices in the eyes of the general public. While hardly outgoing, the black sauromancers are the most active in the world in general, and can often be found living in fixed settlements near the population centers. Concerned with the future, the black sauromancers have been increasingly active in lizardfolk society in an attempt to help it adapt to the new ideas, opportunities, risks, goods, and magics which inevitably accompany contact with the outside world.

Red Sauromancers: Rare and reclusive, these sauromancers can be hard to find. They generally don't live among the other lizardfolk, and have made their homes deep in the jungles and swamps. Focused on the past, these mages spend much of their time searching ancient ruins and ruined settlements for power. They are skilled in obscure ancient magics, languages, crafts, and histories.

Indigo Sauromancers: Extremely rare, these paranoid mages are extremely rare, number in the hundreds (270 at most), and can only be found in small gatherings in the most remote regions in all of Paludia; they only emerge from isolation when it is absolutely necessary. Believing that the world and its life cycles have been corrupted and are therefore dangerous, these sauromancers have declared a war on life and death themselves, and seek to actively transgress against the standard rules of living and dying. They are recruited from the ranks of the most powerful red and black sauromancers, and spend almost all of their time searching for ways conquer death itself and to become masters of life. The indigo sauromancers have a plan, it involves discovering three major secrets. Among the secrets they seek are those of the lich, which will enable them to "survive death", the ability to create life ex nihilo (out of nothing), which should enable them to give life to whoever they want, and the secret of how to destroy life (a way to separate a soul from its body instantly), so that no one will challenge them. Most lizardfolk who know of this order correctly view these sauromancers as madmen whose plots are certain to lead to disaster.

NPC Reactions:

Sauromancer Lore

Knowledge (Local)

DC	Result
5	Sauromancers are a secretive order of lizardfolk mages.
10	They are divided into two different main groups, red and black. Both of them control death magic.
15	The red sauromancers are skilled with fire magic, the black Sauromancers are skilled with nature magic.
20	The sauromancers are the self-appointed protectors of the lizardfolk of Paludia. There is also a third group with indigo-colored robes.
25	The indigo order of sauromancers is obsessed with controlling life and death and is very dangerous.

Sauromancers in the Game

A sauromancer will only appear if there is a significant event which conflicts with their agenda, the time has come for them to advance their plans, or if they are working for a local chief or other figure. They are dangerous mages in any case.

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