Warmages are casters with a limited spell-list but the spells they do have excel at doling out punishment all across the battlefield. They also have armor and can cast while armored which is not something most casters have access to.

Role: Spell DPS

Characteristics: Armored casters who excel at dealing damage

Source: Complete Arcane

Game Rule Information

The Warmage has the following game statistics.

Abilities: Charisma is the most important stat as it's your casting stat, Constitution and Dex for staying alive by hit points and getting higher AC

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d6

Starting Gold: 4d4 x 10 gp

Class Skills

The Warmage's class skills are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge(arcana) (Int), Knowledge(history) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), 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 Warmage.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Warmage is proficient with All simple weapons, light armor, and light shields.

Spells: A warmage casts arcane spells (the same type of spells available to sorcerers and wizards), which are drawn from the warmage spell list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time the way a cleric or wizard must. When a warmage gains access to a new level of spells, he automatically knows all the spells for that level listed on the warmage's spell list. Essentially, his spell list is the same as his spells known list. Warmages also have the option of adding to their existing spell list through their advanced learning ability as they increase in level (see below).

To cast a spell, a warmage must have a Charisma score of 10 + the spell's level (Cha 10 for 0-level spells, Cha 11 for 1stlevel spells, and so forth). The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a warmage's spell is 10 + Caster level. Like other spellcasters, a warmage can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table 1-1: Warmage Progression. In addition, he receives bonus spells for a high Charisma score.

Unlike a cleric or a wizard, a warmage need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his spells per day for that spell level.

Armored Mage Ex: Normally, armor of any type interferes with an arcane spellcaster's gestures, which can cause his spells to fail (if those spells have somatic components). A warmage's limited focus and specialized training, however, allows him to avoid arcane spell failure as long as he sticks to light armor and light shields. This training does not extend to medium or heavier armors, nor to heavy shields. Nor does this ability apply to spells gained from a different spellcasting class.

At 8th level, a warmage learns to use medium armor with no chance of arcane spell failure.

Warmage Edge Ex: A warmage is specialized in dealing damage with his spells. Whenever a warmage casts a spell that deals hit point damage, he adds his Intelligence bonus (if any) to the amount of damage dealt. For instance, if a 1st-level warmage with 17 Intelligence casts magic missile, he deals 1d4+1 points of damage normally, plus an extra 3 points of damage due to his Intelligence bonus. The bonus from the warmage edge special ability applies only to spells that he casts as a warmage, not to those he might have by virtue of levels in another class.

A single spell can never gain this extra damage more than once per casting. For instance, a fireball deals the extra damage to all creatures in the area it affects. However, if a 3rd-level warmage casts magic missile and produces two missiles, only one of them (of the warmage's choice) gains the extra damage, even if both missiles are directed at the same target. If a spell deals damage for more than 1 round, it deals this extra damage in each round.

Scrolls scribed by a warmage do not gain any benefit from warmage edge. Scrolls activated by a warmage also gain no benefit from warmage edge. The same is true for most other magic items, such as wands and potions. However, staffs activated by a warmage use not only the warmage's caster level but also gain the benefits of the warmage edge, if applicable.

Advanced Learning Ex: At 3rd, 6th, 11th, and 16th level, a warmage can add a new spell to his list, representing the result of personal study and experimentation. The spell must be a wizard spell of the evocation school, and of a level no higher than that of the highest-level spell the warmage already knows. Once a new spell is selected, it is forever added to that warmage's spell list and can be cast just like any other spell on the warmage's list.

Sudden Empower: At 7th level, a warmage gains Sudden Empower as a bonus feat. If he already has the feat, he can choose a different metamagic feat.

Sudden Enlarge: At 10th level, a warmage gains Sudden Enlarge as a bonus feat. If he already has the feat, he can choose a different metamagic feat.

Sudden Widen: At 15th level, a warmage gains Sudden Widen as a bonus feat. If he already has the feat, he can choose a different metamagic feat.

Sudden Maximize: At 20th level, a warmage gains Sudden Maximize as a bonus feat. If he already has the feat, he can choose a different metamagic feat.