The Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors is one of the most powerful guilds in Waterdeep, but most Waterdhavians are barely aware of its existence. The Lady Master of the Order, Mhair Szeltune, chooses to take a strictly neutral stance in the political and economic affairs of the city. She encourages the wizards of the order to pursue the art of magic and leave politics to others. The wizards of the order study and exchange information, create magic items to help support the guild’s financial independence, and offer their services to others in the city as watch-wizards or fire guards (wizards armed with spells and magic items to combat fires). The order’s strict political neutrality and assistance to others in the city has paid dividends, for although the populace may not know much about the order’s members, neither do they have cause to fear them.

The majority of the order’s members are wizards, but other arcane spellcasters are welcome as well. Sorcerers are drawn to the order and bards are occasionally associate members, gaining access to much the same information as do the wizards, but deriving less immediate benefit from it, since they acquire their spells differently from wizards.

Guild wizards of Waterdeep are most likely permanent residents of or long-term visitors to the city of that name, though they can be found wandering across the lands. As many different personalities among the Order exist as there are wizards.

This prestige class can serve as a model for the DM to develop similar prestige classes for other possible guilds in the Forgotten Realms. A member of the Arcane Brotherhood in Luskan may share some of the abilities of a member of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors in Waterdeep (most likely, access to a spellpool), but in other ways will be very different.

Role: Spell Utility

Characteristics: Counterspelling focused wizards that can use a spellpool to help cast spells

Source: Magic of Faerun

Game Rule Information

The Guild Wizard of Waterdeep has the following game statistics.

Abilities: You need your casting stat obviously to cast spells and be a guild wizard.Other caster stats such as Dexterity and Constitution

Alignment: Any Nonevil

Hit Die: d4

Starting Gold: N/A

Class Skills

The Guild Wizard of Waterdeep's class skills are Alchemy (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Knowledge (any) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Scry (Int), Search (Int), Spellcraft (Int), and Spot (Wis).

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

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Guild Wizard of Waterdeep.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Guild Wizard of Waterdeep is proficient with whatever they were already proficient with prior to taking levels in this class.

Spells per Day: A guild wizard's training focuses on magic. Thus, when a character gains a new level of guild wizard, 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 (metamagic or item creation feats, for example). If a character had more than one spellcasting class before she became a guild wizard, she must decide to which class she adds each level of guild wizard for purposes of determining spells per day when she adds the new level.

Membership: The character becomes a full member of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors. She is entitled to vote on issues before the entire membership, use the order's library and workrooms (though access to these facilities is based upon seniority), and replenish her store of material components (common components are usually free or carry a nominal fee, while components that carry a gold piece value are available "at cost").

Membership in the order incurs the following duties and responsibilities:

Monthly membership dues of 25 gp (payable up to 1 year in advance); Obedience to the rulings of the masters; Aid to other members in time of need (this normally means aiding other order members who are in danger, but can mean aiding them in their other endeavors as well); Defense of the city of Waterdeep when called upon by the Masters or legitimate authorities of the Waterdhavian government; and Devotion of personal time and energy to the order (10% XP penalty).

This last is usually considered the most onerous requirement of membership in the order. Each season, a member must spend ten days directly aiding the order. This can mean anything the Masters deem it to mean: working with the city guard, serving as an arcane guardian for a private concern, taking a turn as city fire watch, creating magic items, performing administrative duties, and so on. The form this aid takes need not be detailed unless the DM and player wish to do so. Regardless of its form, it results in an XP penalty of 10%, cumulative with any other penalty the character has incurred (such as from multiclassing).

This represents the cost of creating magic items solely for the order, XP costs for spell-casting, and other personal energies contributed to the order. (The character still pays full gp and XP costs for any magic items created solely for her own use.)

Improved Spell Acquisition: At each level of advancement in the guild wizard prestige class, a character gains three spells of her choice of any level she can cast to add to her spellbook.

Spellpool Sp: Beginning at 2nd level, members of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors can call 1st through 3rd-level spells from a common source known as a spellpool. At 6th level, they may call up to 6th-level spells from the spellpool, and at 10th level they may call spells of up to 9th level from the spellpool.

Calling a Spell: Calling a spell from the Spellpool can be done at any distance but requires the caster to have an open, unused spell slot of the appropriate level. Wizards preparing spells for the day decide at that time whether to leave some spell slots open. A spellcaster can call only for a spell of a level that he could normally cast. He can call a number of spells per day whose total levels are equal to or less than half his caster level (round down, minimum one). For example, Turial Edemont, a 5th-level wizard/4th-level Guild Wizard of Waterdeep can call one 4th-level spell per day, two 2nd-level spells per day, or any other combination of spells whose levels do not exceed four, assuming he has slots available and his Spellpool debt isn't too high (see below). When a caster calls a spell, he takes a full-round action to concentrate on his focus (which provokes attacks of opportunity). The spell appears in the caster's mind at the beginning of his next turn and can be used immediately. However, if he does not cast the called spell within a number of minutes equal to his caster level, it fades from his mind as though cast. A wizard cannot learn a called spell, despite its temporary presence in his consciousness, though of course he could later attempt to learn the spell through standard means.

Spell Availability: Three stages of access to the Spellpool exist. A member first joining the Guild Wizard gains Spellpool I privileges, which grants access to spells of 1st to 3rd level. Spellpool II allows access to 4th- to 6th-level spells, and Spellpool III grants access to 7th- to 9th-level spells. No 0-level spells are available, but the Spellpool can provide any other spell on the wizard/sorcerer spell list in the Player's Handbook, as well as any additional spells designated by the DM.

Spellpool Debt: Every time a spellcaster calls a spell, he incurs a debt. He must return an 'energy packet' to the Spellpool: a spell he has prepared of a level equal level to that of the called spell, or a number of spells whose combined levels equal the level of the called spell. For instance, the Spellpool debt for a 5th-level spell is five levels, which could be paid off with another 5th-level spell or any combination of spells whose levels total five. Returning a spell is a full-round action, like calling a spell, and depletes a prepared spell slot as if the spell had been cast. The debt must be repaid within a number of days equal to the character's class level; otherwise, the mage's access to the Spellpool is automatically suspended. Once the debt is repaid, a suspended caster immediately regains access to the Spellpool except that failure to pay off a debt within one-year results in a spellcaster's expulsion from the Guild Wizards of Waterdeep. A mage can't run a 'positive balance' with the Spellpool, paying off a debt before incurring it.

Bonus Item Creation Feat: At 3rd level, a member of the order may select a bonus Item Creation feat (she must still meet the prerequisites for gaining the feat).

Bonus Languages: Members of the order study the Art across cultural boundaries. As such, they pick up other languages so that they may enhance their studies. The character may add one additional language to the list of those she already knows. She may include ancient languages.

Improved Counterspell: At 5th level, the character gains the Improved Counterspell feat. City officials call upon the order to assist in preventing widespread destruction when rogue spellcasters threaten the city. As a result, the order has perfected its ability to use counter-spell techniques to eliminate the threat of such reckless magic use. The Masters feel that this is preferable to harming the irresponsible magic user, leaving the punishment of such a person to the city authorities.

Focused Dispel Ex: Sometimes members of the order must deal with lingering magical effects. Over the years, its members have developed more effective dispelling skills. Beginning at 7th level, they may add +2 to any caster level checks made to dispel magic.

Break Enchantment Spell Sp: At 9th level, the Break Enchantment spell is added to the 4th-level spell list of the guild wizard of Waterdeep. He or she must still learn the spell in order to cast it, just as with any other spell.