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.