Red Wizard (Prestige Class)
The Red Wizards are the masters of Thay, the would-be magical
overlords of the land of Faerûn (in the FORGOTTEN REALMS® campaign
setting). They focus on a school of magic more intently than
any specialist, achieving incredible mastery of magic within a very
narrow focus. Seen as cruel and evil tyrants by people across the
world of Toril, a few choose to leave their region, assume secret
identities, and practice magic without having to worry about political
alliances and possible slave uprisings.
Early in their careers, would-be Red Wizards specialize in a
school of magic and acquire the Tattoo Focus feat that prepares
them for entry into the Red Wizard prestige class. All Red Wizards
have some skill as a specialist wizard, and most follow that path
exclusively, but a few dabble in other sorts of learning (such as
combat or divine magic). While it is possible for a sorcerer or bard
to become a Red Wizard, such misfits are ridiculed in their homeland
and are incredibly rare.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Red Wizard, a character must fulfill all the
following criteria.
- Race
- Human from Thay.
- Alignment
- Any nongood.
- Skills
- Spellcraft 8 ranks.
- Feats
- Tattoo Focus (see New Features of the Red Wizard, below) plus a total of three metamagic feats or item creation feats.
- Spells
- Able to cast 3rd-level arcane spells.
Class Skills
The Red Wizard’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are
Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha),
Knowledge (all skills taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis),
Spellcraft (Int). See Chapter 4 of the Player’s Handbook for skill
descriptions.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Chart
Hit die: d4
{{Class Chart
|Max Level=10
|Base Attack=Low
|Fort Save=Low
|Ref Save=Low
|Will Save=High
|Spell Advancement=+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
|Special1=Enhanced specialization, specialist defense +1
|Special2=Spell power +1
|Special3=Specialist defense +2
|Special4=Spell power +2
|Special5=Bonus feat, circle leader
|Special6=Spell power +3
|Special7=Specialist defense +3, scribe tattoo
|Special8=Spell power +4
|Special9=Specialist defense +4
|Special10=Great circle leader, spell power +5
}}
Class Features
All the following are class features of the Red Wizard prestige
class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Red Wizards gain no proficiency
with any weapon or armor.
Spells per Day
A Red Wizard’s training focuses on arcane
spells. Thus, when a new Red Wizard level is gained, the character
gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in whatever
arcane spellcasting class he belonged to before he added the prestige
class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character
of that class would have gained (bonus metamagic or item creation
feats, bard or assassin abilities, and so on). This essentially
means that he adds the level of Red Wizard to the level of whatever
other arcane spellcasting class the character has, then determines
spells per day and caster level accordingly.
If a character had more than one arcane spellcasting class
before he became a Red Wizard, he must decide to which class he
adds each level of Red Wizard for the purpose of determining
spells per day.
Enhanced Specialization
Upon becoming a Red Wizard, a
character increases his devotion to his wizard school of specialization.
In exchange for this, the Red Wizard must sacrifice study in
one or more schools. The Red Wizard must choose an additional
prohibited school or schools using the rules in the Player’s Handbook.
He can never again learn spells from those prohibited
schools. He cannot choose the same prohibited schools he chose as
a 1st-level wizard. He can still use the prohibited spells he knew
prior to becoming a Red Wizard, including using items that are
activated by spell completion or spell trigger.
For example, Ghorus Toth is specialized in the school of transmutation.
His prohibited schools are abjuration and enchantment.
When he becomes a Red Wizard, he must choose one other
prohibited school. He decides to select conjuration as his additional
prohibited school.
Specialist Defense
A Red Wizard gains a bonus on saving
throws against spells from his specialist school. This bonus starts
at +1 and increases at higher levels, as shown on Table 6–15.
Spell Power: At 2nd level, a Red Wizard gains a bonus that
increases his effective caster level for purposes of
determining level-dependent spell variables and
for caster level checks. The bonus starts at +1
and increases at higher levels, as shown on
Table 6–15. This ability stacks with other
spell power benefits that affect spells
from the Red Wizard’s specialist school.
Bonus Feat
At 5th level, a Red Wizard
gains a bonus feat, which must be either
an item creation feat, a metamagic feat, or
the Spell Mastery feat.
Circle Leader
At 5th level, a Red
Wizard gains the ability to become a
circle leader, who is the focus person for
Red Wizard circle magic (see New Features
of the Red Wizard, below).
Scribe Tattoo
At 7th level, a Red
Wizard gains the ability to place the
Thayan wizards’ magic tattoos upon willing
and qualified novices, giving them the
Tattoo Focus feat and inducting them into
his circle.
Great Circle Leader
A 10th-level
Red Wizard can be the leader of a great
circle, which can have up to nine other
participants instead of just five.
New Features of the Red Wizard
The Red Wizard prestige class was originally
created for inclusion in the
FORGOTTEN REALMS® Campaign Setting, and
uses several rules specific to that setting.
We’ve reproduced them here so you can better see
how the class works. Consider carefully before adding them to a
campaign that does not use the FORGOTTEN REALMS setting.
New Feat: Tattoo Focus Special
You bear the powerful magical tattoos of a Red Wizard of Thay.
Prerequisite: Specialized in a school of magic.
Region: Thay.
Benefit: Add +1 to the DC for all saving throws against spells
from your specialized school. You get a +1 bonus on caster level
checks (1d20 + caster level) to overcome a creature’s spell resistance
when casting spells from that school.
Special: Only characters with the Tattoo Focus feat can participate
in Red Wizard circle magic (see below).
Circle Magic
Some of the most powerful and spectacular spells worked across
Faerûn are cast in the form of circle magic. Circle magic is a type
of cooperative spellcasting that allows the spellcaster leading the
circle to increase his caster level significantly and achieve results
otherwise unavailable to the spellcasters composing the circle.
The Red Wizards of Thay make frequent use of circle magic. Stories
of other forms of circle magic abound in Faerûn.
The ability to participate in circle magic requires
the possession of the Tattoo Focus feat (see above).
One spellcaster, usually the most powerful or experienced character
present, stands at the center of the circle. This character is
the circle leader. A Red Wizard cannot be a circle leader unless he
is at least a 5th-level Red Wizard.
A circle requires a minimum of two participants plus the circle
leader. Up to five partiicpants can aid a circle leader in a standard
circle; a Red Wizard of 10th level can lead a great circle containing
up to nine other participants.
All participants in a circle must stand within 10 feet of the circle
leader, who stands in the center.
Circle Powers
The first use of circle magic is to empower
the circle leader with the strength of all the participants.
This requires 1 full hour of uninterrupted concentration
on the part of all participants and the circle
leader. Each participant casts any single prepared
spell, which is consumed by the circle and has no
effect other than expending the prepared spell. The
spell levels expended by the circle participants are
totaled as circle bonus levels. Each bonus level may
be used to accomplish the following effects.
- Increase the circle leader’s caster level by one for every circle bonus level expended (maximum caster level 40th). This benefit applies to leveldependent variables of a spell such as range or duration, and to level checks (dispel checks, checks to overcome spell resistance, and so on).
- Add Empower Spell, Maximize Spell, or Heighten Spell metamagic feats to spells currently prepared by the circle leader. Each circle bonus level counts as one additional spell level required by the application of a metamagic feat to a spell. The circle leader may add one of the three listed feats to a spell even if he does not know the feat or if the addition of the feat would raise the spell level past the circle leader’s normal maximum spell level (maximum spell level 20th).
These effects last for 24 hours or until expended.
Circle bonus levels may be divided up as the circle
leader sees fit.
For example, the Red Wizard Hauth
Var leads a circle in which four participants each cast a
2nd-level spell, so that Hauth Var gains eight circle
bonus levels. Hauth Var chooses to use three circle
bonus levels to maximize his cone of cold spell, three to increase his
caster level from 10th to 13th for all level-based variables in his
spells, and two to provide a +2 bonus on any level checks he needs
to make. The maximized spell is used up whenever he casts his
cone of cold, and the other two effects remain for the next 24 hours.
Many high-level Red Wizards lead circles on a daily basis to exact
magical power from their apprentices.