Arcane spellcasters spend much of their lives seeking deeper truths, hunting knowledge as if it were life itself. Arcane power is not necessarily found in just the spells one wields; spells are merely the outward, most visible manifestation of that power. An arcane spellcaster’s true power is in his fierce intelligence, his force of personalty, his dedication to his craft, and his ability to peel back the surface truths of reality to understand the fundamental underpinnings of existence. Many arcane spellcasters spend much of their time researching magic and spells and would rather find an undiscovered library than a room full of common gold. Arcane discoveries are the results of this obsession with magic.
All arcane discoveries have a minimum spell level that must be met before they can be selected. A spellcaster must be able to cast spells of the the indicated spell level to learn those arcane discoveries. Some arcane discoveries may have additional prerequisites that must be met before they can be selected.
The Arcane Discoveries
Minimum 1st-Level Spells
Arcane Builder
You have an exceptional understanding of the theory behind creating magical items. Select one type of magic item (potions, wondrous items, and so on). You create items of this type 25% faster than normal, and gain a +4 bonus on skill checks (or other checks, as appropriate) to craft items of this type. You must already be able to craft items of the chosen type (such as by having the appropriate item creation feat) before selecting this discovery. You may select this discovery multiple times; its effects do not stack. Each time you select this discovery, it applies to a different type of magic item.
Creative Destruction (Su)
You have learned how to use destructive energy to empower yourself. When you cast an arcane evocation spell that deals damage, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the total number of dice used to determine the damage caused by the spell. Temporary hit points gained from this discovery do not stack and disappear after 1 hour.
Defensive Feedback (Su)
Rather than dissipate damaging energy, you can redirect some of it back to its source. When an arcane abjuration spell you cast prevents damage (with damage reduction or energy resistance), if the attacking creature is within 30 feet of the protected creature, the foe takes 1d6 points of damage for every 10 points of damage prevented.
Ioun Bond
You can form an arcane bond with an ioun stone. If you choose this arcane discovery before creating your bonded focus, you gain a dull gray ioun stone as a bonded object at no cost. A bonded ioun stone must be orbiting your head to have effect. It otherwise functions exactly as an amulet or ring for purposes of selecting abilities. If you can cast 6th-level arcane spells, you can transform a bonded dull gray ioun stone into another kind of ioun stone as if you possessed the Craft Wondrous Item feat (bypassing the normal restrictions against using crafting feats on your bonded focus); if you die or replace a bonded ioun stone that has been transformed in this way, the stone reverts to a dull gray ioun stone. You must have the Arcane Bond feat to select this discovery.
Knowledge is Power (Ex)
Your understanding of physical forces gives you power over them. You add your Intelligence modifier on combat maneuver checks and to your CMD. You also add your Intelligence modifier on Strength checks to break or lift objects.
Minimum 2nd-Level Spells
Balanced Summoning
You maintain balance by calling on opposing forces when summoning. Whenever you cast a summon monster spell, you can summon two creatures from a single list 1 or more levels lower than the level of the spell. The two creatures must have alignments that are opposite along at least one axis (chaotic and lawful or evil and good). For example, if you cast summon monster III, you could summon a celestial wolf and a fiendish hyena from the 2nd-level list.
Faith Magic
Select one spell granted by a domain belonging to the god you worship. This spell must be at least 2 levels lower than the highest-level wizard spell you can cast. When you first prepare your spells for the day, you can prepare this spell once, using a spell slot 1 level higher than the spell’s actual level. This spell is cast as an arcane spell.
Minimum 3rd-Level Spells
Fast Study
Normally, a spellcaster who prepares spells spends 1 hour preparing all of his spells for the day, or proportionately less if he only prepares some spells, with a minimum of 15 minutes of preparation. Thanks to mental discipline and clever mnemonics, you can prepare all of your arcane spells in only 15 minutes, and your minimum preparation time is only 1 minute. This discovery has no benefit if you don’t prepare arcane spells.
Feral Speech
You gain the supernatural ability to speak with and understand the response of any animal as if using speak with animals, though each time you speak to animals, you must use a move action to activate this ability each round and must decide to communicate with either amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, or reptiles, and can only speak to and understand animals of that type. You can make yourself understood as far as your voice carries. This discovery does not predispose any animal addressed toward you in any way. When you are able to cast 6th-level arcane spells, you can also use this ability to communicate with vermin.
Forest’s Blessing
You cast any spells that appear on both the wizard and druid spell lists at +1 caster level and with +1 to the save DC. In addition, you may replace the material component of any arcane spell with gems of the same value.
Split Slot
Once per day when you prepare arcane spells, you may treat any one of your open spell slots as if it were two spell slots that were two spell levels lower. For example, a 9th-level Wizard can split a 5th-level slot into two 3rd-level slots, preparing fireball and lightning bolt in those 3rd-level slots. For all purposes, the two lower-level slots are treated as that lower spell level. Splitting a 2nd-level slot lets you prepare two additional cantrips (which you can cast over and over, just like normally prepared cantrips). This discovery has no effect on cantrips or 1st–level spells. You may select this discovery multiple times; each time you select it, you may split another spell slot when you prepare spells. You cannot split a slot that you created by splitting a higher-level slot. This discovery has no benefit if you don’t prepare arcane spells.
Minimum 5th-Level Spells
Beyond Morality (Su)
As long as you are neutral, you may choose to be treated as the most favorable alignment when affected by spells whose effects vary based on alignment (such as holy word). If you are neutral in relation to evil and good, you may choose to be treated as good or evil. If you are neutral in relation to chaos and law, you may choose to be treated as lawful or chaotic. You may only choose to be treated as one alignment type along a single axis at a time (for instance, if you were within the area of both a magic circle against evil spell and an unholy blight spell, you would have to choose to be either evil, good, or neutral for the purpose of determining the spells’ effects).
Golem Constructor
You have learned the art and craft of creating a single type of golem (such as stone golems or iron golems). When creating a golem of this type, you count as having the Craft Wondrous Item, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, and Craft Construct feats. You must meet all other construction requirements for the golem as normal. You may select this discovery multiple times. Each time you select this discovery, it applies to a different kind of golem.
Multimorph (Su)
When you cast a spell of the polymorph subschool on yourself, you may expend 1 minute of the spell’s duration as a standard action to assume another form allowed by the spell. You can do this as often as you like, subject to the duration of the spell.
Steward of the Great Beyond
Whenever a creature attempts to use a teleportation effect or summon a creature within 30 feet of you, you may attempt to block the effect. Make an opposed caster level check (1d20 + caster level) as an immediate action. If the check succeeds, the spell or effect fails and is wasted; otherwise, it is unaffected. You can use this ability once per day plus one additional time if you can cast 7th-level spells.
Minimum 6th-Level Spells
Idealize (Su)
In your quest for self-perfection, you have discovered a way to further enhance yourself and others. When an arcane transmutation spell you cast grants an enhancement bonus to an ability score, that bonus increases by 2. If you can cast 9th-level arcane spells, the bonus instead increases by 4.
Staff-Like Wand
Similar to using a magic staff, you use your own Intelligence score and relevant feats to set the DC for saves against spells you cast from a wand, and you can use your caster level when activating the power of a wand if it’s higher than the caster level of the wand. You must possess the Craft Staff feat to select this discovery.
Time Stutter (Sp)
You can briefly step out of time, pausing the world around you. This ability acts as the time stop spell, except that you gain only 1 round of apparent time. You can use this ability once per day plus one additional time if you can cast 8th-level spells.
True Name (Sp)
Your research into ancient tomes and your inquisitions of bound spirits have led you to one of the best-hidden secrets of the multiverse: the true name of an outsider—the name that defines the very essence of the creature and that gives the speaker control over the being. This outsider can have no more than 12 Hit Dice. Once per day, you can speak the common name by which the outsider is known, and the outsider travels to you as if you had cast planar binding upon it. It must obey you to the best of its ability, without pay or bargaining for its services, for its fear that you might release its true name to the wider world is enough to bring even the most recalcitrant of outsiders to bear.
If the creature is within 100 feet, as a move action, you may punish it by deliberately mispronouncing its name, wracking its very essence and giving it the sickened and staggered conditions for 1 round (even if the creature is normally immune to these conditions). You cannot use true name in an area of silence, but the creature does not have to be able to hear you for it to be harmed by the ability.
It is in your best interest to call this creature only sparingly, and occasionally reward it in some fashion to mollify its wrath. If you repeatedly fail to offer it a reward appropriate to its type and ethos, the creature may begin plotting ways to destroy the bond between you, whether by creating an accident that will destroy your memory of the name, by plaguing you with nuisances or dangers until you vow never to call on it again, or by actively seeking to destroy you through its own devices or those of an underling. If this creature is of a lawful type and you are violating its ethos, its superiors may even destroy it or you rather than allow you to contaminate their servant further. Worse, they may establish situations where it is necessary for you to summon this outsider, opening gateways to infernal or angelic interference, in order to gain a foothold on the Material Plane.
You may select this discovery multiple times. Each time you select this discovery, it applies to a different, specific outsider. If you can cast 8th-level spells when you select this discovery, the creature may have up to 18 Hit Dice and the call acts as greater planar binding instead of planar binding.
Minimum 9th-Level Spells
Immortality (Ex)
You discover a cure for aging, and from this point forward you take no penalty to your physical ability scores from advanced age. If you are already taking such penalties, they are removed at this time. You can no longer die of old age.