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I always loved the flavor of the Sha'ir class (Dragon Compendium vol 1), but it's always had some really strange mechanics that just don't seem to jive right. I saw a Sha'ir "Bloodline" for sorcerers shortly after the release of Pathfinder, but I decided to go ahead and do a complete re-write of the class because I felt it was unique enough to warrant it. I present it here in its alpha state for consideration and comment. Please keep all discussion on-topic and constructive. I apologize in advance for the tables; these boards aren't very table-friendly.
Conversion notes:
I changed the retrieval skill check to only check once per set of spells (basing the DCs off the most extreme examples -- ie, highest level spell, most metamagic-modified spell, hardest spell to retrieve -- and number of retrieval attempts that day) and basing the time off whether you knew all the spells and whether any of them were divine. This makes the class actually usable at a table.
The other big thing I changed was the addition of a bloodline/domain/arcane school/oracle focus/cavalier order type system, called Patrons. Patrons are powerful genies or elementals that grant special abilities to Sha'irs in exchange for a sliver of their power at all times (ie, technobabble).
The Sha'ir:
BAB: as Wizard
Saves: as Wizard
HD: as Wizard
Skills: Bluff, Craft, Diplomacy, Knowledge: Arcana, Knowledge: Planes, Linguistics, Profession, Sense Motive, Spellcraft
Skill Points: 2 + Int
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: as Wizard
Summon Gen Familiar (Su): Sha'irs rely on a special type of familiar, a gen, to help them in their spellcasting. At 1st level, a Sha'ir summons and bonds with a specific gen familiar, chosen from table S-3. Note that the gen you summon and bond with at 1st level must be chosen from the list of gen available to your Patron (see below). Gen are Tiny Outsiders with the Elemental Endurance, Elemental Travel, and Retrieve Spells abilities (described below), movement speed 20', fly speed 60' (perfect), immunity and vulnerability to a damage type (see table S-3), and elemental traits. Gen advance as a normal familiar; see page 82 of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook.
If a Sha'ir's gen dies or is dismissed, it can be replaced after 24 hours by completing a ritual that takes 12 hours and 100 gold in ritual materials. This new gen can be of any type, but note that using a gen that does not match the Sha'ir's Patron imposes a penalty to its ability to retrieve spells.
Patron: A Sha'ir chooses one Patron, a powerful Outsider or deity who grants a portion of their power to the Sha'ir in exchange for a portion of their power. Each Patron grants the Sha'ir a number of extra class skills, the ability to learn spells from a limited list of Domains (although they do not grant any other abilities of those Domains), and other assorted powers. Patrons must be chosen at 1st level and once chosen cannot be changed.
Spells: A Sha'ir casts arcane spells drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list and selected domain spell lists. Sha'irs prepare spells like Wizards do, but instead of preparing spells from a spellbook, they send their gen familiar to 'retrieve' spells for them. Once retrieved, the spell remains prepared by the Sha'ir until cast.
To learn or cast a spell, a Sha'ir must have a Charisma score of at least 10 + the spell's level. The Difficulty Class for a Sha'ir's spell is 10 + the spell's level + the Sha'ir's Charisma modifier. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day (but not spells known) if he has a high Charisma score.
A Sha'ir begins play knowing five 0-level spells and three 1st-level spells of his choice, taken from the sorcerer/wizard list and the domain spell lists granted by his Patron. He learns more spells at each level as shown on table S-2.
In order to prepare his spells for the day, the Sha'ir must have had 8 consecutive hours of rest and must send his gen familiar to the elemental plane of his Patron to retrieve his spells. How long the gen takes to retrieve these spells is determined by what type of spells the Sha'ir sends it to retrieve. If the spells are all spells he knows from the sorcerer/wizard list, the gen returns in 1d4 minutes. If the spells are all spells from the sorcerer/wizard list, but not all of them are known, the gen returns in 3d4 minutes. If at least one of the spells is drawn from one of the domains allowed by his Patron, but is one of the Sha'ir's spells known, the gen returns in 1d4*10 minutes. If at least one of the spells is drawn from one of the domains allowed by his Patron and is not one of the Sha'ir's spells known, the gen returns in 3d4*10 minutes. Always take the worst applicable time. In any case, the gen always returns with either all of the spells it was sent to retrieve or none of them.
To determine if the gen successfully retrieves the spells it was sent for, the Sha'ir makes a Diplomacy check, with a DC set according to table S-4. If the Sha'ir succeeds at this check, the gen returns with all the spells it was sent for and they are considered prepared. If the Sha'ir fails at the check, the gen must be sent to retrieve a new list of spells; this new list must be one step easier to retrieve if possible (in other words, the Sha'ir must remove all unknown domain spells, all domain spells in general, or unknown sorcerer/wizard spells, as appropriate).
At 4th level, and every even-numbered Sha'ir level thereafter, a Sha'ir may choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows, just like a Sorcerer.
A Sha'ir may use any metamagic feats he knows to modify spells his gen retrieves. In order to do so, the gen must be sent to retrieve the spell with any metamagic feats applied to it. Because the metamagic is not being applied spontaneously, the Sha'ir does not need to use a full-round action to cast a spell modified by a metamagic feat.
Cantrips: A Sha'ir can prepare a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, each day, as noted on table S-1. These spells are cast like any other spell, but are not expended when cast and may be used again.
Recognize Genie Works (Ex): At 2nd level, the Sha'ir can identify items or magical effects that have been created by geniekind. The Sha'ir must make a Knowledge: Planes check at DC 20 to recognize an item crafted by genies, or DC 15+spell level to recognize a magical effect created by genies. The Sha'ir gets a bonus equal to half his Sha'ir level to this check.
Elemental Protection (Ex): At 6th level, a Sha'ir gains protection from the elements. He gains resistance to fire, acid, cold, and electricity equal to half his Sha'ir level, DR 3/- against attacks from creatures with the fire, earth, water, or air subtypes, and +2 to saves against spells with the fire, earth, water, or air descriptors. These bonuses are doubled against creatures, spells, and attacks of the type associated with his gen familiar.
Elemental Travel (Sp): At 10th level, the Sha'ir gains the ability to cast plane shift, as the spell, as long as the destination is either the Material Plane or an Elemental plane. At 14th level, and every 4 levels thereafter, the Sha'ir may use this ability an extra time per day.
Create Genie Prison (Ex): At 16th level, you gain the ability to create a genie prison as if you had the Craft Wondrous Item feat. A genie prison is identical in all respects to an iron flask, except that it can only trap genies and only costs 100,000 gp. If you have the Craft Wondrous Item feat, you can create genie prisons at twice the normal speed.
Table S-1: The Sha'ir
1 Patron power, summon gen familiar, cantrips
2 Recognize genie works
3
4 Patron power
5
6 Elemental protection
7
8 Patron power
9
10 Elemental travel 1/day
11
12 Patron power
13
14 Elemental travel 2/day
15
16 Create genie prison
17
18 Elemental travel 3/day
19
20 Patron power
Table S-1b: Sha'ir Spells Per Day
Level 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1.......4 2 - - - - - - - -
2.......5 3 - - - - - - - -
3.......5 3 1 - - - - - - -
4.......5 4 3 - - - - - - -
5.......5 4 3 1 - - - - - -
6.......5 4 4 3 - - - - - -
7.......5 5 4 3 1 - - - - -
8.......5 5 4 3 3 - - - - -
9.......5 5 5 4 3 1 - - - -
10......5 5 5 4 3 3 - - - -
11......5 5 5 5 4 3 1 - - -
12......5 5 5 5 4 3 3 - - -
13......5 5 5 5 5 4 3 1 - -
14......5 5 5 5 5 4 3 3 - -
15......5 5 5 5 5 5 4 3 1 -
16......5 5 5 5 5 5 4 3 3 -
17......5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 3 1
18......5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 3 3
19......5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4
20......5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
Table S-2: Sha'ir Spells Known
1.......5 3 - - - - - - - -
2.......6 3 - - - - - - - -
3.......6 4 - - - - - - - -
4.......7 4 2 - - - - - - -
5.......7 5 3 - - - - - - -
6.......8 5 3 2 - - - - - -
7.......8 6 4 3 - - - - - -
8.......9 6 4 3 2 - - - - -
9.......9 7 5 4 3 - - - - -
10......9 7 5 4 3 2 - - - -
11......9 8 6 5 4 3 - - - -
12......9 8 6 5 4 3 2 - - -
13......9 9 7 6 5 4 3 - - -
14......9 9 7 6 5 4 3 2 - -
15......9 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 - -
16......9 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 -
17......9 9 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 -
18......9 9 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
19......9 9 9 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
20......9 9 9 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
Table S-3: Gen Familiars
Flame...fire............fire....cold....Master gains +5' to base land speed
Wind....air.............elec....acid....Master gains +3 bonus to Fly checks
Wave....water.......cold....fire....Master gains +3 bonus to Swim checks
Stone...earth........acid....elec....Master gains +2 Fortitude save
Table S-4: Spell Retrieval DC
Base | 15
Highest spell level* | +spell level*2
Unknown sorcerer/wizard spell** | +2
Domain spell** | +5
Unknown domain spell** | +10
Highest metamagic spell increase*** | +increase
Each previous retrieval in 24 hours | +2
Using a mismatched gen | +5
* Count only the actual level of the spell; do not count any increase to spell level due to metamagic
** Only count the highest modifier
*** Count all spell level increases for each spell and use the highest total
Spell Retrieval Example:
Ustiyad, a 3rd level Sha'ir, sends his gen familiar off to retrieve his spells for the day: web, still magic missile, sleep, color spray, burning hands, and magic missile; magic missile, sleep, color spray, and burning hands are known spells, but web is not. The highest level spell he is attempting to retrieve is a 2nd level spell (web), adding 4 to his DC. Since he doesn't know web, but he's not asking for any domain spells, he adds another 2 to the DC. Finally, one of the spells he's attempting to retrieve is a still magic missile, which is a +1 increase in spell level and thus a +1 to his DC. His gen matches the types allowed by his Patron, so he adds together 15 + 4 + 2 + 1 to get a total retrieval DC of 22. His gen will return in 3d4 minutes, at which time he must make his Diplomacy check. If he fails the check, he can send his gen back to try again, but he must drop the web spell (perhaps choosing another still magic missile to replace it) and the DC changes to 20 (15 + 2 for only 1st level spells +0 all spells are known + 1 for one level of metamagic increase +2 for previous retrieval).
Gen Abilities:
Elemental Travel (Sp): A gen can plane shift at will to any Elemental plane or from any Elemental plane to the Material plane. This ability transports the gen only, but is otherwise identical to the spell plane shift (caster level 13).
Retrieve Spells (Ex): A gen is empowered to bargain for and deliver spells from the Elemental planes to its Sha'ir. The time required depends upon the spells requested, as given in the Sha'ir description.
Sample Patrons:
Gen: Fire
Skills: Add Disguise, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth to your list of class skills.
Domain Spells: A Sha'ir who chooses Jafaar as his Patron can learn spells from the list of spells granted by the Evil, Fire, Law, and Trickery Domains.
Granted Powers: Jafaar is a twisted, scheming efreeti malik who grants powers related to deceit, greed, and fire to those who he grants Patronage to.
Consuming Flames (Sp): Starting at 1st level, you can designate any creature or object within 30 feet to be the target of his consuming flames as a standard action. That creature or object must make a Reflex save (DC 10 + half your Sha'ir level + your Charisma modifier) or be set on fire for 1d4 rounds. Unattended objects get no save. This fire deals 1d6 points of fire damage + 1 for every two Sha'ir levels you possess. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier.
Pierce the Smog (Su): At 4th level, you can see through smoke, fog, and fire without penalty as long as there is sufficient light for you to see normally.
Smokescreen (Sp): At 8th level, you gain the ability to create a 15' radius cloud of thick black smoke, centered on yourself, as a move action. This smoke provides concealment against creatures within 5 feet and total concealment against creatures farther away. Creatures entering the cloud must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 10 + half your Sha'ir level + your Charisma modifier) or be sickened for as long as they remain in the cloud and for one round after they leave or the cloud disperses. The cloud lasts a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1 round) unless dispersed by a strong wind and can be used once per day per two Sha'ir levels.
Cunning Deceit (Ex): At 12th level, you can add your Intelligence modifier (if positive) to your Bluff, Disguise, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth checks.
Cosmic Power (Su): At 20th level, you take on many of the qualities of an efreet. Your type becomes Outsider (native, fire), you gain immunity to fire, your body emits Heat as an efreet, and you can use alter self as a spell-like ability at will. Unlike a normal Outsider, you can still be revived if killed.
Suliq, the Sand Sea's Sultan
Gen: Fire and Air
Skills: Add Knowledge: Nature, Perception, and Survival to your list of class skills.
Domain Spells: A Sha'ir who chooses Suliq as his Patron can learn spells from the list of spells granted by the Air, Fire, Sun, and Travel Domains.
Granted Powers: Suliq is a powerful air elemental lord who rules over a massive stretch of desert in Osirion. He grants his supplicants powers related to his desert home.
Desert Blast (Sp): Starting at 1st level, you can fire a blast of sand and salt as a standard action, targeting any foe within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. The sand deals 1d6 points of damage + one for every two Sha'ir levels you possess. If the target is bleeding, they must also make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + half your Sha'ir level + your Charisma modifier) or be dazed for one round. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
Surefooted (Ex): At 4th level, you gain Nimble Moves as a bonus feat.
Sandstorm (Sp): At 8th level, you can summon a sandstorm to harry your foes. Designate one creature per point of Charisma bonus you have (minimum 1) as a full-round action; each of those creatures are engulfed in miniature sandstorms that follow them for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). The sandstorms are considered greater duststorms (see page 438 of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook) except that they only affect the creatures you target. These sandstorms can be sustained for a number of rounds per day equal to your Sha'ir level.
Desert Shroud (Su): At 12th level, you are constantly surrounded by a swirling desert wind. Any ranged attacks directed against you have a 20% miss chance, as the entropic shield spell. In addition, if you are in an area filled with sand, gravel, or other loose, light matter, you gain 20% concealment against all attacks. This ability does not function underwater or in a vacuum. You can suppress or resume this ability as a free action.
Master of the Desert (Su): At 20th level, you take on many of the qualities of an air elemental. Your type becomes Outsider (native, air) and you become immune to paralysis, poison, sleep effects, stunning, critical hits, and precision damage. Unlike a normal Outsider, you can still be revived if killed.
Hey there Zurai, thanks for this. One less bit of work needed to get Al-qadim up and running ;)
AK
I'm just happy that someone other than me will get some use out of it.
This is good. Thanks for posting it.
It seems, however, that with a series of unlucky Diplomacy rolls, the sha'ir may end up with the DC too high to beat. If that happened, he'd be without spells for the day (except, perhaps, any left over from the day before). My suggestion would be that if the previous attempt only involved spells known and no domain spells, the +2 to the DC of future attempts be dropped. In other words, the sha'ir would only have at most a +6 to the DC due to previous failures.
This is good. Thanks for posting it.
It seems, however, that with a series of unlucky Diplomacy rolls, the sha'ir may end up with the DC too high to beat. If that happened, he'd be without spells for the day (except, perhaps, any left over from the day before). My suggestion would be that if the previous attempt only involved spells known and no domain spells, the +2 to the DC of future attempts be dropped. In other words, the sha'ir would only have at most a +6 to the DC due to previous failures.
You would have to be really unlucky to get to a point where it was impossible to succeed. As shown in the example, the DC actually goes down when you are forced to reduce the difficulty of the retrieval. Remember that you can take 10 on Diplomacy checks, including the spell retrieval check. Unless you're going for Domain spells, you should be able to take 10 on most checks. This is especially true if you take Skill Focus: Diplomacy, which is a good idea for Sha'irs.
That said, I am a bit worried about whether the DC is too high for low level Sha'irs. I had initially set the DC at 10+, but that seemed trivially easy for anything but a level 1 character, so I bumped it up to 15+. That's the kind of thing that needs to be actually playtested.
You would have to be really unlucky to get to a point where it was impossible to succeed. As shown in the example, the DC actually goes down when you are forced to reduce the difficulty of the retrieval. Remember that you can take 10 on Diplomacy checks, including the spell retrieval check. Unless you're going for Domain spells, you should be able to take 10 on most checks. This is especially true if you take Skill Focus: Diplomacy, which is a good idea for Sha'irs.
Fair enough, I hadn't put it into context. If you can take 10 on this Diplomacy check, that would be fine.
Thanks Zurai, I always wanted to play this class but I could never find a game to use it in. Now I can continue the quest in pathfinder!
Sigurd
Good luck with that quest! I've not managed to play one in a game yet, but I'm scheduled to play one when we get around to playing the Legacy of Fire adventure path. I mean, seriously, there's no way I could resist playing a Sha'ir in an Arabian Nights-type AP.
The best 3.x Sha'ir I think has been in Mystic Eye Games "Dry Lands - Empire of the Dragon Sands". You made me dig for it. They call the class "Bisaakir Zaari" although it has the same mechanics.
Then there was the one from the Dragon of course.
There was a Sha'ir in 'Tales of the Caliphate Nights' for True20 by Paradigm Concepts. I found the setting book over all evocative but I didn't stay with the game system.
Louis Port Junior also did a prestige class called the 'Djinn Sage' although that was more of a wizard who can bind djinn.
Sigurd