Maho-Tsukai

Requirements

Skills: Concentration 8 ranks , Knowledge (Shadowlands) 4 ranks

Base Will Save: +4.

Shadowlands Taint: The character's Taint score must be 4 or higher.

Spells: Ability to cast divine or arcane spells.

Special: Must either read maho writings to learn the practice, study under another maho-tsukai, or summon a Shadowlands spirit.

Summary

This class doesn't really start out as a base class and has requirements; however, it does this neat thing where you can essentially "trade levels" of whatever casting class you chose provided you meet the pre-requisites. As a result it's a pseudo-base class and you can start a campaign playing one. Some DMs may waive the requirements all together, up to them! This class fills your standard blood mage role and deals with Taint and that whole shebang. There is a page about taint on the cowl though so if you need to read that it's linked in this page itself.

Role: Spell

Characteristics: Blood magic casters, with special metamagic and the ability to replace material components with blood

Source: Oriental Adventures

Game Rule Information

The Maho-Tsukai has the following game statistics.

Abilities: Taint is your casting ability and while not a traditional ability score, it's important, Constitution for staying alive, Dexterity basically determines your AC for this class.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d8

Starting Gold: 3d4x10

Class Skills

The Maho-Tsukai's class skills are Alchemy (Int), Concentration (Con), Hide (Dex) Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (Shadowlands)(Int), Listen (Wis), Search (Int), Scry (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 Maho-Tsukai.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Maho-Tsukai is proficient with all simple weapons, no armor

Taint Suppression: While a maho-tsukai is likely to accumulate a high Taint score over the course of her life, this Taint is not immediately obvious to onlookers. A maho-tsukai's Taint manifests in mental effects—insanity, rage, nightmares—and internal physical effects. If a maho-tsukai is split open, the internal corruption is obvious: Her body is full of bloody pus and strange growths, even internal limbs. If a maho-tsukai enters the Shadowlands, her corruption immediately manifests externally as well. Barring these two conditions, it is impossible to detect a maho-tsukai based on appearance.

A maho-tsukai no longer applies her Taint score as a penalty to her Constitution, but still applies half of her Taint score as a penalty to her Wisdom.

A maho-tsukai accumulates Taint for casting maho spells, just like a shugenja or sorcerer does. All spells a maho-tsukai casts are maho spells.

Spells: A maho-tsukai casts arcane spells, much like a sorcerer. Rather than using a key ability score for spellcasting, maho-tsukai use their Taint scores. To cast a spell, a maho-tsukai must have a Taint score at least equal to the spell's level. Maho-tsukai bonus spells are based on a number equal to the character's Taint score + 10, and saving throws against maho spells have a DC of 10 + Caster Level. The maho-tsukai's spell list appears below.

A maho-tsukai is limited to casting a limited number of spells of each level per day, but she need not prepare her spells in advance. The number of spells she can cast per day is improved by her bonus spells, based on her Taint score. The number of spells a maho-tsukai knows is not affected by her Taint score.

Blood Component: A maho-tsukai must substitute a drop of blood for a spell's material component or focus, if any. She has two options: use her own blood or use someone else's.

If she uses her own, the minor knife cut to draw the requisite blood is a free action that becomes a normal part of casting the spell. The maho-tsukai does not need to make a Concentration check to complete the spell, despite the wound. Using this ability deals the maho-tsukai 1 point of damage.

Substituting blood for a costly material component requires drawing a greater amount of blood. The maho-tsukai deals more damage to herself when doing so, according to the table below (Table 1-3: Blood Component and Damage). When using blood to replace a costly component, the maho-tsukai must make a Concentration check (DC 10 + damage taken + spell level) to successfully cast the spell.

Spell Conversion: A maho-tsukai can "trade in" levels in another spellcasting class for additional levels of maho-tsukai spellcasting ability. Each level of prior spellcasting ability counts as one additional level as a maho-tsukai for purposes of determining spells known and spells per day only. Spells previously learned as a shugenja or sorcerer count against the character's total spells known, but the maho-tsukai casts them now as arcane maho spells, spilling blood during the casting as a blood component. Maho-tsukai do not learn more cantrips or gain more 0-level spells per day as they advance. When a maho-tsukai advances a level, she can learn her new spells from either her old spell list or the maho-tsukai spell list, but casts all her spells as maho spells regardless.

For example, a 5th-level sorcerer becomes a maho-tsukai when she reaches 6th level. As a sorcerer, she knew six 0-level spells, four 1st-level spells, and two 2nd-level spells. As a maho-tsukai, she converts her sorcerer levels to maho-tsukai spellcasting ability, and can now cast spells as a 6th-level maho-tsukai. She learns one new 1st-level spell (a total of five), one new 2nd level spell (a total of three), and two 3rd-level spells as well. She casts all her spells—whether she knew them before her "conversion" or not—as maho spells, using blood components. She still knows her six cantrips, and can cast six 0-level spells per day for the rest of her career.

Maho Metamagic: A maho-tsukai who learns metamagic feats can apply them by paying an additional cost in blood. By draining blood, the maho-tsukai can enhance her spells without using a higher-level spell slot. The cost is a number of points of temporary Constitution damage equal to the level of the metamagic spell. Thus, to cast a vampiric touch spell with the Empower Spell feat applied costs the maho-tsukai 5 points of temporary Constitution damage (3rd-level spell + two levels for Empower Spell). The maho-tsukai cannot enhance a spell to a level higher than he can cast by this means. For example, a maho-tsukai must be at least 9th level to cast an Empowered vampiric touch, even though the spell uses only a 3rd-level slot.

Level Advancement: The power of maho is seductive. Once a character has tasted its attractions, it is hard to resist. If a maho-tsukai wishes to advance in level in another class, she must make a successful Will saving throw with a DC equal to 10 + her Taint score. If she fails the saving throw, she must advance her maho-tsukai level. If she succeeds at this saving throw, she can advance the level in another class, though she must still attempt the saving throw the next time she gains a level.

Table 1-1: Maho-Tsukai Progression

						———— Spells per Day* ————
Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
1st	+0	+2	+0	+0	Taint suppression, blood component, spell conversion, maho metamagic	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+0		4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+1		5	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
4th	+3	+4	+1	+1		6	4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
5th	+3	+4	+1	+1		6	5	3	—	—	—	—	—	—
6th	+4	+5	+2	+2		6	6	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
7th	+5	+5	+2	+2		6	6	5	3	—	—	—	—	—
8th	+6/+1	+6	+2	+2		6	6	6	4	—	—	—	—	—
9th	+6/+1	+6	+3	+3		6	6	6	5	3	—	—	—	—
10th	+7/+2	+7	+3	+3		6	6	6	6	4	—	—	—	—
11th	+8/+3	+7	+3	+3		6	6	6	6	5	3	—	—	—
12th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+4		6	6	6	6	6	4	—	—	—
13th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+4		6	6	6	6	6	5	3	—	—
14th	+10/+5	+9	+4	+4		6	6	6	6	6	6	4	—	—
15th	+11/+6/+1	+9	+5	+5		6	6	6	6	6	6	5	3	—
16th*	—	—	—	—		6	6	6	6	6	6	6	4	—
17th*	—	—	—	—		6	6	6	6	6	6	6	5	3
18th*	—	—	—	—		6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	4
19th*	—	—	—	—		6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	5
20th*	—	—	—	—		6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6
*No character can actually reach a level above 15th as a maho-tsukai, but through spell conversion a character may have the spellcasting ability of a higher-level maho-tsukai

Table 1-2: Maho-Tsukai Spells Known

Level	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	2
2nd	3
3rd	3	1
4th	4	2
5th	4	2	1
6th	5	3	2
7th	5	3	2	1
8th	5	4	3	2
9th	5	4	3	2	1
10th	5	5	4	3	2
11th	5	5	4	3	2	1
12th	5	5	4	4	3	2
13th	5	5	4	4	3	2	1
14th	5	5	4	4	4	3	2
15th	5	5	4	4	4	3	2	1
16th	5	5	4	4	4	4	3	2
17th	5	5	4	4	4	4	3	2	1
18th	5	5	4	4	4	4	4	3	2
19th	5	5	4	4	4	4	4	3	3
20th	5	5	4	4	4	4	4	4	3

Table 1-3: Blood Component and Damage

Component Cost (gp)	Damage Dealt
1—50	5
51—300	11
301—750	17
750+	23

Bonus Spells

In 3.6e, spellcasters who have a limited number of spells per day are granted additional spell slots based on their casting stat modifier according to the table below. In order to receive the bonus spell slots, they must already be able to cast spells of that level.

Table 1-4: Bonus Spells

Skill Bonus	Level 0	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5	Level 6	Level 7	Level 8	Level 9
1	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	2	2	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	0
3	3	3	2	2	1	1	1	0	0	0
4	4	4	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	0
5	5	5	3	2	1	1	1	1	1	1
6	6	6	3	2	2	1	1	1	1	1
7	7	7	4	2	2	1	1	1	1	1
8	8	8	4	3	2	2	1	1	1	1
9	9	9	5	3	2	2	2	1	1	1
10	10	10	5	3	3	2	2	1	1	1
11	11	11	6	4	3	2	2	1	1	1