Excerpt from
Complete Mage Excerpt
By Ari Marmell and Skip Williams

Your character's list of casting-based options isn't complete without Complete Mage. Get a taste of what's in store by looking at some excerpts from the book, which include some character options, a list of feats, a look at the ultimate magi, and an entry about Bigby's tomb.

Class Options

Armored Mage

Rare is the fighter who hasn't envied the wizard's bag of magical tricks. Although even the most basic arcane spell remains beyond a fighter's abilities, those who aspire to such talents can, with practice, learn to cast simple arcane spells while wearing light armor. On its own, this alternative feature grants little benefit to a single-classed fighter; only in conjunction with one or more levels of sorcerer, wizard, or a similar arcane spellcasting class does this ability come into play.

Class: Fighter.

Level: 1st.

Special Requirement: Knowledge (arcana) 1 rank.

Replaces: You lose proficiency with medium armor and heavy armor.

Benefit: Choose one arcane spellcasting class, such as sorcerer. You can avoid any chance of arcane spell failure for spells gained from this class as long as you restrict yourself to light armor and light shields. This training does not extend to any other form of armor or shields, nor does this ability apply to spells gained from other spellcasting classes.

This benefit applies only to spells of a level equal to or lower than your fighter class level + 1.

Elemental Companion

Every druid reveres nature, but some pay more respect to the fundamental building blocks of the natural world than to its flora and fauna. By forgoing her bond with the animal kingdom, a druid can instead take on an elemental creature as her companion.

Class: Druid.

Level: 1st.

Special Requirement: Knowledge (the planes) 1 rank, Speak Language (Auran, Terran, Ignan, or Aquan)

Replaces: You do not gain an animal companion, nor do you gain wild empathy.

Benefit: You gain the companionship of a Small elemental (air, earth, fire, or water; your choice).You must speak the language of your chosen elemental companion (Auran, Terran, Ignan, or Aquan, respectively).

Your elemental companion has the normal statistics of an elemental of its kind. It does not gain any extra HD, natural armor adjustment, Strength or Dexterity adjustment, or extra tricks (it is intelligent enough to follow your spoken commands and thus needs no tricks). It gains all other special abilities normally granted to an animal companion, with the exception of Multiattack.

At 4th level, your elemental grows into a Medium elemental of the same kind. Its statistics change appropriately.

At 10th level, you can choose for your elemental companion to grow to a Large elemental of the same kind, with the appropriate changes to its statistics. If you choose for your elemental to remain Medium, it instead gains 2 HD, +2 Strength, +2 Constitution, and damage reduction 5/--.

At 16th level, you can choose for your elemental companion to grow to a Huge elemental of the same kind, with the appropriate changes to its statistics. If you choose for your elemental to remain at its current size, it instead gains an additional +4 HD, +4 Strength, +4 Constitution, and damage reduction 5/--. All these benefits stack with existing statistics except for the damage reduction.

Spell Reflection

Many masters of stealth share the signature talent to avoid explosive blasts of magical energy. It takes only a little training, however, to twist this defensive flair into the ability to reflect magical attacks back upon their creator.

Class: Monk, ranger, rogue, or scout.

Level: 2nd (monk or rogue), 5th (scout), or 9th (ranger).

Special Requirement: Knowledge (arcana) 1 rank.

Replaces: You do not gain evasion.(If you would later gain improved evasion as a special ability, you gain evasion instead.)

Benefit: You gain the supernatural ability to reflect magical attacks back on their caster. If an enemy misses with a spell or spell-like ability aimed at you, you can use an immediate action to redirect the effect back at its originator. The spell or ability attacks the original caster (who makes a new attack roll using the same modifier as the original attack).If it hits, the caster is subject to the normal effect of the spell or ability.

For example, if a 3rd-level wizard missed you with a scorching ray, you could use an immediate action to redirect the ray back to the wizard. The wizard would immediately make a new ranged attack roll (using the same modifier) against his own touch AC; if the attack succeeds, the scorching ray deals its normal damage to the wizard.

This effect applies only to spells and spell-like abilities that require an attack roll. Other spells and spell-like abilities that affect a target aren't subject to this reflection.

If a single spell or ability misses you more than once at the same time (such as scorching ray cast by a high-level caster), you can redirect each portion of the spell that missed. Using the example above, if you were missed by two of the three rays from an 11th-level wizard's scorching ray spell, you could redirect only those two rays (but not the one that hit).

You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 1 + your Dex modifier (minimum 1/day).


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