Mage-Killer

Requirements

Skills: Spellcraft 10 ranks

Feats: Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes, Combat Reflexes, Martial Weapon Proficiency (any)

Spellcasting: Ability to cast 4th-level arcane or divine spells. Ability to cast at least three spells that require Fortitude saves and at least three spells that require Reflex saves. (A spell that inflicts damage but allows no saving throw can substitute for any of these required spells.)

Summary

Mage-killers are a rare breed. They master magic designed for combat against other spellcasters. They learn not only combat skills such as might be taught to a warrior, but also spells that target the weaknesses of their foes. Some use traps, others use weapons, but all hone their magical skills to a fine point, for it is those skills that distinguish them from the usual run of hunters and killers. They develop friendships with the sorts of people who can lead them to their foes, but the dirty business of overcoming those foes they take upon their own shoulders.

Most mage-killers are essentially bounty hunters specializing in a particular sort of prey. Some, however, follow such a path out of religious conviction. Ironically, followers of both Azuth and Shar use mage-killers in the pursuit of their respective deity’s aims. The church of Azuth believes in the responsible use of magic. This prevents others not gifted in the Art from treating all spellcasters as enemies, but also preserves the very Weave itself. Azuth’s followers usually first offer a warning to any spellcaster who abuses the powers he possesses. Failing that, however, they increase the response, until at last they are forced to send a magekiller to defeat the reckless spellcaster.

Shar’s followers, of course, concern themselves with the Weave only insofar as it affects the Shadow Weave. Their mage-killers instead seek out prominent Weave users and kill them publicly as a warning to those who oppose their deity and as a demonstration of the power of the Shadow Weave. Through such means, Shar’s followers hope to weaken Mystra’s power over magic. So far, her followers have had little success in weakening Mystra’s might, since the sorts of spells they prefer are not all so well suited to overcoming other spellcasters. What mages they have killed were as often as not taken down by her deadly Dark Moon sorcerer-monks. But if they seem, on the surface, less well suited to the task of killing other spellcasters, their fanatical devotion to their deity’s cause more than makes up for it.

Role: Spell DPS

Characteristics: Spell on spell violence with casters made to fight other casters

Source: Magic of Faerun

Game Rule Information

The Mage-Killer has the following game statistics.

Abilities: Having High saves is pretty paramount to this class so good Dexterity, Fortitude and Wisdom is highly recommended

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d4

Starting Gold: N/A

Class Skills

The Mage-Killer's class skills are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (any) (Int), Listen (Wis), Scry (Int), Search (Int), Spellcraft (Int), and Spot (Wis).

Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Mage-Killer.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Mage-Killer is proficient with whatever they were already proficient with prior to taking levels in this class.

Spells per Day: A mage-killer's training focuses on magic. Thus, when a character gains a new level of mage-killer, she gains new spells per day as if she had also gained a level in whatever spellcasting class she belonged to before she added the prestige class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved chance of controlling or rebuking undead, metamagic or item creation feats, and so on).

If a character had more than one spellcasting class before she became a mage-killer, she must decide to which class she adds each level of mage-killer for purposes of determining spells per day when she adds the new level.

Improved Saves: The mage-killer learns to improve his resistance to the very sorts of spells he uses against others. At 1st level, and every odd-numbered level thereafter, he gains a +1 bonus on either his Fortitude or Reflex save. These bonuses stack.

Augment Summoning: At 2nd level, the character gains the Augment Summoning feat.

Spell Focus: At 4th level, the character gains a bonus Spell Focus feat in one of the following schools: Conjuration, Evocation, Necromancy, or Transmutation. Every even-numbered level thereafter, the character gains another bonus Spell Focus feat in one of these schools, until at 10th level the mage-killer has Spell Focus for all four schools listed.

Table 1-1: Mage-Killer Progression

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spellcasting
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Improved saves	+1 level of existing class
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Augment summoning	+1 level of existing class
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	Improved saves	+1 level of existing class
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Spell Focus	+1 level of existing class
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Improved saves	+1 level of existing class
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Spell Focus	+1 level of existing class
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Improved saves	+1 level of existing class
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	Spell Focus	+1 level of existing class
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6	Improved saves	+1 level of existing class
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Spell Focus feat	+1 level of existing class