Magic-Users are those who seek and use knowledge of the arcane. They do magic not as the Cleric does, by faith in a greater power, but rather through insight and understanding.
Magic-Users are the worst of all the classes at fighting; hours spent studying massive tomes of magic do not lead a character to become strong or adept with weapons. They are the least hardy, equal to Thieves at lower levels but quickly falling behind.
A first level Magic-User begins play knowing
read magic and one other spell of first level. These spells are written in a spellbook provided by his or her master. The GM may roll for the spell, assign it as he or she sees fit, or allow the player to choose it, at his or her option.
| MAGIC-USER LEVEL | ATTACK BONUS |
|---|
| 1-3 |
+1 |
| 4-5 |
+2 |
| 6-8 |
+3 |
| 9-12 |
+4 |
| 13-15 |
+5 |
| 16-18 |
+6 |
| 19-20 |
+7 |
SUPPLEMENTS
Arcane Bolt
The Magic-User can magically attack once per round. The Arcane Bolt is treated as a normal missile weapon. The player makes a normal combat roll against the target's AC, adding any Intelligence bonus and taking into account the range (10/20/30). The damage is d3. The origin is magic, but the effect is a form of mundane concussion, so it will not affect creatures who are only affected by magic. However, it will affect inanimate objects
Bonus Spells
Magic-Users gain bonus spells for high Intelligence. This allows the character to prepare more spells of certain levels than usual. Characters may not prepare spells above the level they can cast, so even though a character with an 18 Intelligence gets a second level spell as a bonus spell, he or she can't prepare second level spells until reaching third level. Use the following table.
| INTELLIGENCE | BONUS PREPARED SPELLS |
|---|
| 9-11 |
No Bonus Spells |
| 12 |
No Bonus Spells |
| 13-15 |
1 x 1st Level Spells |
| 16-17 |
2 x 1st Level Spells |
| 18 |
2 x 1st, 1 x 2nd Level Spells |
Cast at Will
A spellcaster may employ any spell he or she knows (i.e. has in his or her spellbook), so long as the caster has an available slot of the correct level.
Slot Demotion
Slot demotion allows a spell caster to use a higher-level available slot to cast a lower-level spell. This grants no particular bonus; casting magic missile with a 3rd level slot, for instance, neither makes the spell more powerful nor gives the caster any "change" back.
Flavor
Magic reflect the magician's personality. The player chooses visual, auditory, and / or odiferous effects for his spells, though this has no effect on the spell's actual effect in the game. So, one magician's spells might all have a purple aura while another's might all crackle when cast. This option has no effect in terms of the rules, but it's a good dramatic effect that can make playing a magician more fun. It can also be used as a form of signature.
Magic-User Spells
The number of spells of each level which a Magic-User may cast per day is shown on the appropriate table in the Characters section. Each morning spellcasters prepare spells to replace those they have used. Spells prepared but not used persist from day to day; only those actually cast must be replaced. A spellcaster may choose to dismiss a prepared spell (without casting it) in order to prepare a different spell of that level.
Spellcasters must have at least one hand free, and be able to speak, in order to cast spells; thus, binding and gagging a spellcaster is an effective means of preventing them from casting spells. In combat, casting a spell usually takes the same time as making an attack. If a spellcaster is attacked (even if not hit) or must make a saving throw (whether successful or not) on the Initiative number on which they are casting a spell, the spell is spoiled and lost. As a specific exception, two spell casters releasing their spells at each other on the same Initiative number will both succeed in their casting; one caster may disrupt another with a spell only if they have a better Initiative, and choose to delay casting the spell until right before the other caster.
Magic-Users cast spells through the exercise of knowledge and will. They prepare spells by study of their spellbooks; each Magic-User has his or her own spellbook containing the magical formulae for each spell the Magic-User has learned. Spellbooks are written in a magical script that can only be read by the one who wrote it, or through the use of the spell read magic. All Magic-Users begin play knowing read magic, and it is so ingrained that it can be prepared without a spellbook.
A Magic-User may only prepare spells after resting (i.e. a good night's sleep), and needs one turn per each three spell levels to do so (rounding fractions up). Spells prepared but not used on a previous day are not lost. For example, a 3rd level Magic-User preparing all three of his or her available spells (two 1st level and one 2nd level) is preparing a total of 4 levels of spells, and thus needs 2 turns (4 divided by 3 and rounded up).
Acquisition of Spells and Magical Research
Magic-Users begin play knowing two spells,
read magic plus one other (unless the GM grants more starting spells). Each time the character gains a level, he or she gains the ability to cast more spells; in addition, every other level the Magic-User gains access to the next higher level spells (until all levels are available). However, gaining the ability to cast these spells does not necessarily mean the Magic- User instantly learns new spells.
Magic-Users may learn spells by being taught by another Magic-User, or by studying another Magic-User's spellbook. If being taught, a spell can be learned in a single day; researching another Magic-User's spellbook takes one day per spell level. In either case, the spell learned must be transcribed into the Magic-User's own spellbook, at a cost of 500 gp per spell level transcribed.
A Magic-User may add a new spell of any level he or she may cast at any point; however, spells of higher levels may not be learned or added to the Magic-User's spellbook. The Magic-User must find a teacher or acquire a reference work (such as another Magic-User's spellbook) in order to learn new spells, and the cost of such is in addition to the costs given above. Often a Magic-User will maintain a relationship with his or her original master, who will teach the character new spells either for free or in return for services. Sometimes two Magic-Users will agree to exchange known spells. In many cases the only option available to a Magic-User will be to pay another Magic- User (often an NPC) anywhere from 100 gp to 1000 gp per spell level in return for such training.
Necromantic Dabbling
Magic-Users are permitted to learn necromatic spells through being taught by a Necromancer (not another Magic-User), or by studying a Necromancer’s spellbook. The difference between a Magic-User and a Necromancer comes down to their previous teachings by their masters. A Necromancer is one that was formally trained by their Necromancer master while a Magic-User will always be considered a Magic-User when their master was of the same class. The number of Necromancer spells a Magic-User can learn can never surpass the caster’s level. A spell is considered a Necromancer spell if it appears on any Necromancer spell list but does not appear on any Magic-User list.
Necromancy has been branded by the Church as blasphemy. Necromantic spells use is an obvious act and the utilization of such spell is call for an immediate detainment and purification of that magic-user's soul by immolation at the sun's zenith.
