Some spellcasters seek the secrets of magic, pursuing the power to make the impossible possible. Others are born with magic in their blood, commanding unbelievable forces as effortlessly as they breathe. Yet still others seek to meld the science of arcane scholars with the natural might of innate casters. High arcanists seek to discover the mysterious laws of magic and through will and expertise bend those forces to their whims. High arcanists are the shapers and tinkers of the arcane world, and no magic can resist their control.
Entry Requirements
Base Save Bonus: Will +5.
Skill: Academics 5 ranks, Arcane Lore 5 ranks.
Feats: Arcanist.
| Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Arcane Spellcasting | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | ||||||
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +1 | Spellcasting | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +1 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | +1 | +1 | +1 | +2 | Innate spell | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +2 | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +3 | Bonus feat | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
| 6th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +3 | — | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 7th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +4 | Innate spell | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — |
| 8th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +4 | — | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 9th | +4 | +3 | +3 | +5 | — | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 10th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +5 | Bonus feat | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level): Academics, Arcane Lore, Profession, and Linguistics
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
A High Arcanist gains no proficiency with any type of weapon, armor, or shield.
| Level | 0 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | 6 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5th | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 6th | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 7th | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 8th | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 9th | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 10th | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Arcane Spellcasting
A high arcanist casts arcane spells which are drawn from the wizard spell list. A high arcanist must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time, but unlike a wizard, his spells are not expended when they’re cast. Instead, a high arcanist can cast any spell he has prepared at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his spells per day for that spell level, much like a sorcerer.
To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the high arcanist must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a high arcanist’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the wizard’s Intelligence modifier.
A high arcanist can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The High Arcanist. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligence score.
A high arcanist may know any number of spells, but the number he can prepare each day is limited. To prepare spells, he must benefit from a Long Rest and spend 1 hour studying his spellbook. While studying, the high arcanist decides which spells to prepare.
High Arcanist Caster Level
A high arcanist’s caster level is equal to his class level + 1/2 his class level in any other spellcasting classes, rounded down. For example, a high arcanist with 5 class levels who also possesses 3 cleric levels, 2 druid levels, and 2 levels in a prestige class that advanced his cleric spellcasting would have a caster level of 8 for his high arcanist class, because 5 + (3+2+2)/2 = 5 + 7/2 = 5 + 3.5 = 8.5, rounded down to 8.
A high arcanist who has levels in sorcerer or wizard instead adds the full class level to his caster level. For example, a cleric 6 / sorcerer 4 / high arcanist 5 would have a caster level of 12 for his high arcanist class, because 6/2 + 4 + 5 = 3+ 4 + 5 = 12.
Despite having accelerated access to spellcasting, a high arcanist cannot prepare or cast a spell unless his caster level would be high enough for a similarly leveled wizard to cast the same spell. This means, for example, that a high arcanist must have a caster level of at least 13 to be able to cast 7th-level spells. This includes spells with an increased effective spell level due to adding metamagic.
If the high arcanist gains spell slots of a spell level he cannot use due to his caster level, he may still use those slots to prepare and cast spells of a lower level. For instance, our example high arcanist above with a class level of 5 and a caster level of 8 has access to 5th-level spell slots but can only cast spells of up to 4th level. He could use any 5th-level slots he gains to prepare and cast spells of 4th-level and lower.
Metamagic
A high arcanist may prepare a spell with a Metamagic Feat applied, just like a wizard.
A high arcanist may also choose to apply a Metamagic Feat he knows as he casts it, which increases the casting time, just like a sorcerer.
A high arcanist may not combine these options. If he applies metamagic when preparing a spell, he cannot later add additional metamagic when casting it.
Cantrips
High arcanists can prepare a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, each day as noted on Table: High Arcanist Spells Prepared. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they do not consume spell slots. As with his other spells, these spells are not expended when cast.
Spellbooks
A high arcanist must study his spellbook each day to prepare his spells. He cannot prepare any spell not recorded in his spellbook, except for read magic, which all high arcanists can prepare from memory.
A high arcanist gains a spellbook at 1st level containing all 0-level wizard spells plus three 1st-level spells of your choice. For each point of Intelligence bonus the high arcanist has, the spellbook holds one additional 1st-level spell of your choice. At each new wizard level, he gains two new spells of any spell level or levels that he can cast (based on his new high arcanist level) for his spellbook. At any time, a high arcanist can also add spells found in other wizards’ spellbooks to his own.
If a high arcanist already possesses a spellbook (such as by having levels in wizard), he can use that spellbook for his high arcanist class if he chooses.
Bonus Feats
At 5th and 10th level, a high arcanist gains a bonus feat. At each such opportunity, he can choose a metamagic feat, an item creation feat, Obtain Familiar, or Spell Mastery. The high arcanist must still meet all prerequisites for a bonus feat, including caster level minimums.
Innate Spell
At 3rd and 7th level, a high arcanist is able to completely master a single spell he knows, transforming it into a spell-like ability. The high arcanist chooses one arcane spell he knows and can cast, which cannot have a costly material component or an XP cost and which must be a 4th-level spell or lower. The high arcanist can cast this spell as a spell-like ability 3/day.