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Iron Mage

A fledgeling wizard picks up a sword and shield and finds that she likes the way they feel in her hands. A young warrior sees an arcane inscription and becomes fascinated by its complexity. Faced with such an experience, some might give up one art to master the other; others would make time to study both disciplines independently. A few are not content with those options. Instead they blend martial and arcane techniques together, creating a unique style which relies on both. These individuals are known as iron mages: toe-to-toe with an opponent, clad in armor and bearing arms, they wield an arsenal of arcane power.

Role: Iron mages do not fling spells from shy safety, protected by more stalwart guardians. They are the bold guardians, the front-line warriors, at home in the heart of a fray and quite capable of defending their allies.

Starting Gold: 5d6x10.
Starting Age: As wizard.

Alignment: Any.
Hit Dice / BAB: d10 / Full.
Good Saves: Fortitude, Will.

Class Skills: Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (engineering) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str).
Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier.

-- Spell progression as Paladin/Ranger, plus cantrips as indicated below. --

1st: Bookish arcanist, cantrips (1), school focus, witching 1
2nd: Counter-threat, school power, warding 1
3rd: Curriculum
4th: Arcane conversion, cantrips (2), school spell
5th: Warding 2, witching 2
6th: Fluency
7th: Cantrips (3), curriculum
8th: School power, warding 3
9th: Fluency, improved counter-threat
10th: Witching 3
11th: Curriculum, warding 4
12th: Fluency, greater warding
13th: School power
14th: Warding 5
15th: Curriculum, fluency, witching 4
16th: Greater witching
17th: Warding 6
18th: Fluency
19th: Curriculum, school power
20th: Dire witching, warding 7, witching 5

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Iron mages are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light and medium armor and shields (except tower shields). An iron mage does not incur the normal arcane spell failure chance from wearing light or medium armor, or from wearing a shield. Like any other arcane spellcaster, an iron mage wearing heavy armor incurs a chance of spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass iron mage still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Bookish Arcanist: Though she pursues specialized techniques which slow her mastery of spellcasting, an iron mage studies magic in the same way as a wizard. She can use spell completion and spell trigger items containing sorcerer/wizard spells of any level, and qualifies for the Spell Mastery feat as if she were a wizard.

Cantrips: Iron mages can prepare a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, each day, as noted on the class table. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again.

Focus School: Every iron mage selects one school of arcane magic as the primary focus of her studies. This choice is made at 1st level, and cannot be changed.

School Power (Sp): At 2nd, 8th, 13th and 19th levels, an iron mage gains an ability determined by her focus school. She may expend a use of the spell-like abilities gained at 13th and 19th level to recharge a staff, as if they were respectively 6th and 9th level spell slots.

Spells: An iron mage casts arcane spells drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. An iron mage must choose and prepare her spells in advance.

To learn, prepare or cast a spell, the iron mage must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell's level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an iron mage's spell is 10 + the spell level + the iron mage's Intelligence modifier.

An iron mage can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on the class table. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Intelligence score. When the class table indicates that the iron mage gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, she gains only the bonus spells she would be entitled to based on her Intelligence score for that spell level.

An iron mage may know any number of spells. She must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour studying her spellbook. While studying, the iron mage decides which spells to prepare.

An iron mage's caster level is equal to her iron mage level. However, when casting spells or using spell completion or spell trigger items from schools other than the Universal school or her focus school, she suffers a -3 penalty to her caster level (minimum 1st level).

Spellbooks: An iron mage must study her spellbook each day to prepare her spells. She cannot prepare any spell not recorded in her spellbook, except for read magic, which all iron mages can prepare from memory. A character with levels in both iron mage and wizard can use a single spellbook; though the two classes' spells are distinct when prepared, they are recorded identically and need only be learned once.

An iron mage begins play with a spellbook containing the spells arcane mark, prestidigitation and read magic, plus one 0-level spell from her focus school. At each new iron mage level, she gains one new spell of any spell level that she can cast (based on her new iron mage level) for her spellbook. At any time, an iron mage can also add spells found in other spellbooks to her own.

Witching (Su): An iron mage imbues weapons she wields with arcane power as if using the Arcane Strike feat, granting a damage bonus and causing her attacks to count as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. The damage bonus granted by this ability is equal to her witching rank, initially 1 and increasing by 1 for every 5 iron mage levels. She gains this benefit on every attack she makes, without needing to spend the swift action normally required to activate Arcane Strike. In addition, the iron mage's weapons are imbued with an effect determined by her focus school. Witching is ineffective against targets more than 30 feet from the iron mage.

Counter-Threat (Ex): Beginning at 2nd level, as part of the action used to cast a spell or activate a spell-like ability, an iron mage can designate one opponent she threatens in melee. The current action does not provoke attacks of opportunity from that opponent. This ability is not limited to spells and spell-like abilities gained from the iron mage class.

Warding (Su): A 2nd level iron mage learns to weave potent defenses into her magical aura. As long as she is conscious she gains a warding benefit determined by her focus school, initially at rank 1. Her warding rank improves by 1 at 5th level and every 3 levels thereafter.

Curriculum: At 3rd level, and every 4 levels thereafter, an iron mage masters a curriculum selected from the list below. Unless otherwise specified, an iron mage cannot select the same curriculum more than once.
- Arcane Companion: The iron mage gains Improved Familiar as a bonus feat and may obtain a familiar as with the wizard's arcane bond ability, adding her iron mage level to her effective wizard level. An iron mage cannot choose the bonded object option of arcane bond, and cannot select or benefit from this curriculum if she has a bonded object.
- Cram Session: The iron mage gains Spell Mastery as a bonus feat. She also gains fluency (see below) with one additional spell.
- Distant Witching: The iron mage's witching and greater witching effects apply to attacks at any range, rather than being limited to targets within 30 feet.
- Fundamentals: The iron mage gains two bonus feats which must be combat, item creation or metamagic feats, or Spell Mastery. She must meet any prerequisites for these feats.
- Greater Focus: The iron mage adds +2 to the DCs of all saving throws against spells and abilities from her focus school. This bonus does not stack with the Spell Focus, Greater Spell Focus or Ability Focus feats.
- Handy Trick: The iron mage can activate her dampening field, expedience, forcecube or stifle ability 2 additional times per day. She can also activate that ability as a swift action, but doing so reduces its duration by 1 round.
- Heavy Metal: The iron mage gains proficiency with heavy armor and tower shields. Her spells ignore any arcane spell failure chance from worn armor or shields. In addition, she can move at her normal speed while wearing medium armor. At 7th level, she can move at her normal speed while wearing heavy armor.
- Metafluency: The iron mage gains Heighten Spell and any one other metamagic feat as bonus feats. She must meet any prerequisites for the selected feat. When applying metamagic to a spell which she has selected for her fluency class feature, that spell is no longer automatically Hightened one level, but the final effective level of the spell is reduced by one (to a minimum of its original level). If she uses fluency to cast a spell spontaneously, she does not gain this benefit but instead can apply metamagic to that spell without increasing its casting time.
- Magewright: The iron mage gains Craft Magic Arms and Armor as a bonus feat. She may substitute a Craft or Profession skill for Spellcraft when creating magic items, and gains a +2 bonus to checks when she does so, as if using the Master Craftsman feat.
- Martial Drill: The iron mage gains any one combat feat as a bonus feat. She must meet any prerequisites for that feat. She now adds her Iron Mage level to her Fighter level to qualify for feats.
- Material Attunement: With an uninterrupted hour of meditation and practice, the iron mage can attune herself to a melee weapon with which she is proficient. When wielding that weapon she gains the benefit of the Eschew Materials feat when casting iron mage spells, and can substitute the weapon for any spell focus item costing 1gp or less. She can also use a hand holding that weapon to perform somatic components. An iron mage can only be attuned in this way with one weapon at a time.
- Remedial Wizardry: The iron mage gains Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat. She no longer suffers a -3 penalty to her caster level for spells from schools other than her focus school and the Universal school. She may prepare one additional additional 0-level spell per day, and immediately learns a number of 0-level wizard spells equal to her Intelligence modifier.
- Twin Style: When wielding a melee weapon with which she is proficient and keeping at least one hand free, the iron mage can use touch spells in tandem with physical attacks. She can cast and deliver a touch spell (or deliver the charge from a held touch spell) as part of a full attack action. This does not incur two-weapon fighting penalties. Spells with a casting time of more than 1 standard action cannot be cast in this way. Additionally, she can cast a swift action touch spell as an immediate action in place of an attack of opportunity.

Arcane Conversion: As a swift action, an iron mage can sacrifice one of her prepared spells of 1st level or higher to increase her witching rank by an amount equal to the sacrificed spell's level for one round.

School Spell: At 4th level, and every 3 levels thereafter, an iron mage learns an additional spell from her focus school, which can be of any level that she can cast.

Fluency: At 6th level, and every 3 levels thereafter, the iron mage learns one spell by rote. She selects a spell which is already in her spellbook. From now on, she can prepare that spell without referring to a spellbook, and can sacrifice a prepared spell of equal or greater level to cast it spontaneously. If prepared normally, the spell uses a slot of its normal level but is treated as Heightened by one level (or one additional level if it is already Heightened). If a 0-level spell is chosen for fluency, the iron mage can cast it spontaneously without sacrificing a prepared spell. The iron mage must select a different spell each time she gains this ability.

Improved Counter-Threat: An iron mage of 9th level or higher never provokes attacks of opportunity from foes she threatens when casting spells or using spell-like abilities.

Greater Warding (Su): A 12th level iron mage gains an additional benefit from her warding, determined by her focus school. She may suppress or resume this effect as a swift action.

Greater Witching (Su): At 16th level, if an iron mage uses the attack action to make a single attack, her witching grants an additional effect depending on her focus school. This effect does not apply to targets more than 30 feet away.

Dire witching: A 20th level iron mage can apply her greater witching effect to any weapon attack. When she uses the attack action, her witching rank is doubled for that attack.

Focus Schools
Each iron mage must choose from among the following schools. The DC to save against most school abilities is equal to 10 + 1/2 the iron mage's level + the iron mage's Intelligence modifier. The DC to save against the school powers gained at 13th and 19th level is determined as if they were 6th and 9th level spells, respectively.

Abjuration
You specialize in hindering your enemies' offense, whether physical or magical.
Witching: Your weapons count as all alignments for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. A creature damaged by your attack suffers a penalty equal to your witching rank to attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, CMB, and the DC of any saving throws against its spells and abilities. This penalty lasts for one round.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack finds itself pacified. For one round, it treats all other creatures as if they were protected by the sanctuary spell, using your school power save DC.
Warding: You gain a deflection bonus to AC equal to your warding rank.
Greater Warding: You gain spell resistance equal to your iron mage level + 10.
School powers:
- Dampening Field (Sp): At 2nd level, you can emanate an aura of protective magic which lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1 + your Intelligence bonus. Choose acid, cold, electricity, fire or sonic; all creatures and objects within 10 feet of you gain resist energy 15 against that energy type. At 11th level your dampening field extends to 20 feet, and grants resist energy 30. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
- Unfettered (Su): Twice per day at 8th level, as a swift action, you can bestow the benefits of freedom of movement to yourself or any creature within 30 feet for a number of rounds equal to your iron mage level. You gain an additional daily use of this ability at 11th, 14th, 17th and 20th levels.
- Greater Dispel Magic (Sp): You can use greater dispel magic as a spell-like ability once per day at 13th level and twice per day at 17th level.
- Prismatic Sphere (Sp): You can use prismatic sphere as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level.

Evocation
You wield pure energies, both raw destructive elements and controlled fields of force.
Witching: Your weapons have the ghost touch enhancement, and deal 1d4 extra force damage per witching rank you possess.
Greater Witching: A phenomenal wave of force follows your weapon, buffeting any creature or object struck. The target flies up to 10 feet in a direction of your choice, is knocked prone, and is staggered for one round unless it succeeds on a Fortitude saving throw. Huge and Gargantuan targets can only be moved 5 feet by this ability, and Colossal targets are not moved (but still knocked prone and potentially staggered).
Warding: A floating disk of force grants you a shield bonus to AC equal to your warding rank.
Greater Warding: Whenever you are damaged by a physical attack, the impact triggers a burst of force which streaks back to the attacker, dealing 1d4+1 damage per warding rank you possess. Any effect which prevents or absorbs damage from magic missiles affects your greater warding.
School powers:
- Force Cube (Sp): At 2nd level, you can create a cube of force measuring up to 5 feet on each side, occupying any empty space within 30 feet. The cube is transparent, but shimmers visibly. It lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1 + your Intelligence bonus, and otherwise has the same properties as a resilient sphere. At 11th level you can increase your force cube's dimensions, up to 10 feet on each side. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier. If you attempt to create a force cube in an occupied space, it fails to appear but still counts against your daily uses.
- Spell Channeling (Su): Twice per day at 8th level, as a swift action, you can imbue a weapon you are wielding with an instantaneous evocation spell which you currently have prepared. Spells with costly material or focus components, or with a casting time greater than 1 standard action, cannot be used with this ability. The next successful attack made with the imbued weapon delivers the spell's effects to the creature struck. Spells delivered in this way do not allow Reflex saving throws, but other saving throws are made as normal and any spell resistance the target possesses must still be overcome. Regardless of the spell's normal targets or area of effect, only the creature or object struck is affected. If there is no meaningful way for the spell to affect the target, it is harmlessly discharged. You cannot imbue a weapon with more than one spell at a time. A weapon only remains charged as long as you wield it, and you can harmlessly discharge an imbued spell as a free action. If a successful attack is not made with the imbued weapon within a number of rounds equal to your iron mage level, the imbued spell is lost. You gain an additional daily use of this ability at 11th, 14th, 17th and 20th levels.
- Forceful Hand (Sp): You can use forceful hand as a spell-like ability once per day at 13th level and twice per day at 17th level.
- Meteor Swarm (Sp): You can use meteor swarm as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level.

Necromancy
You weave dire magic to confound your foes, and fortify your body with negative energy.
Witching: Your weapons count as piercing, slashing and bludgeoning for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. A creature damaged by your attack suffers a penalty equal to your witching rank to AC, CMD and saving throws. This penalty takes effect at the end of the current turn, and lasts for one round.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack suffers a severe curse of unluck for one round. Any time the creature makes an ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or skill check, it must roll twice and take the worse result.
Warding: You gain DR 1/— per warding rank you possess.
Greater Warding: You emanate an unnerving aura of necromantic energy. This aura causes creatures within 30 feet whose hit dice total no more than 1/2 your iron mage level to become shaken, with no save. As a swift action you can momentarily increase the intensity of this aura, giving yourself a frightful presence. When you do, all opponents within 30 feet must succeed on a Will saving throw or become shaken for a number of rounds equal to your warding rank. A successful save makes that creature immune to your frightful presence for 24 hours, though weak creatures are still shaken by your aura. Your frightful presence stacks with your aura, so a creature affected by both becomes frightened.
School powers:
- Stifle (Sp): At 2nd level, you can cause creatures in a 5-foot burst within 30 feet to become fatigued for a number of rounds equal to 1 + your Intelligence bonus if it fails a Fortitude saving throw. At 11th level the burst expands to 10 feet, and a creature you stifle is exhausted for the duration if it fails its save and fatigued even if it succeeds. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
- False Flesh (Su): Twice per day at 8th level, as an immediate action, you can gain temporary hit points equal to twice your iron mage level. This ability can be activated in time to absorb the damage from an incoming attack or spell. These temporary hit points vanish at the beginning of your next turn. You gain an additional daily use of this ability at 11th, 14th, 17th and 20th levels.
- Eyebite (Sp): You can use eyebite as a spell-like ability once per day at 13th level and twice per day at 17th level.
- Energy Drain (Sp): You can use energy drain as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level.

Transmutation
You create combat advantages by manipulating time, space and substance.
Witching: Your weapons gain a bonus to attack rolls equal to your witching rank, and bypass any damage reduction which would be overcome by special materials such as cold iron, silver or adamantine. A creature damaged by your attack has all its modes of movement reduced by 5 feet + 5 feet per witching rank you possess, to a minimum of 5 feet, for one round.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack becomes slowed for one round.
Warding: You gain an enhancement bonus to natural armor equal to your warding rank.
Greater Warding: You have a 5% chance per Iron Mage level to ignore extra damage from critical hits and sneak attacks.
School powers:
- Expedience (Sp): At 2nd level, you can grant the effects expeditious retreat to yourself or another creature within 30 feet for a number of rounds equal to 1 + your Intelligence bonus. At 11th level, you instead grant the effects of haste. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
- Distortion (Su): Twice per day at 8th level, as a swift action, you can change the size of yourself or one creature within 30 feet of you, increasing or decreasing it by one size category. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to your iron mage level. An unwilling creature may resist this effect with a Fortitude saving throw. This ability is otherwise identical to enlarge person or reduce person. You gain an additional daily use of this ability at 11th, 14th, 17th and 20th levels.
- Disintegrate (Sp): You can use disintegrate as a spell-like ability once per day at 13th level and twice per day at 17th level.
- Etherealness (Sp): You can use etherealness as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level.

Iron Mage

A fledgeling wizard picks up a sword and shield and finds that she likes the way they feel in her hands. A young warrior sees an arcane inscription and becomes fascinated by its complexity. Faced with such an experience, some might give up one art to master the other; others would make time to study both disciplines independently. A few are not content with those options. Instead they blend martial and arcane techniques together, creating a unique style which relies on both. These individuals are known as iron mages: toe-to-toe with an opponent, clad in armor and bearing arms, they wield an arsenal of arcane power.

Role: Iron mages do not fling spells from shy safety, protected by more stalwart guardians. They are the bold guardians, the front-line warriors, at home in the heart of a fray and quite capable of defending their allies.

Starting Gold: 5d6x10.
Starting Age: As wizard.

Alignment: Any.
Hit Dice / BAB: d10 / Full.
Good Saves: Fortitude, Will.

Class Skills: Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (engineering) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str).
Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier.

-- Spell progression as Paladin/Ranger, plus cantrips as indicated below. --

1st: Bookish arcanist, cantrips (1), school focus, witching 1
2nd: Counter-threat, school power, warding 1
3rd: Curriculum
4th: Arcane conversion, cantrips (2), school spell
5th: Warding 2, witching 2
6th: Fluency
7th: Cantrips (3), curriculum
8th: School power, warding 3
9th: Fluency, improved counter-threat
10th: Witching 3
11th: Curriculum, warding 4
12th: Fluency, greater warding
13th: School power
14th: Warding 5
15th: Curriculum, fluency, witching 4
16th: Greater witching
17th: Warding 6
18th: Fluency
19th: Curriculum, school power
20th: Dire witching, warding 7, witching 5

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Iron mages are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light and medium armor and shields (except tower shields). An iron mage does not incur the normal arcane spell failure chance from wearing light or medium armor, or from wearing a shield. Like any other arcane spellcaster, an iron mage wearing heavy armor incurs a chance of spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass iron mage still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Bookish Arcanist: An iron mage gains Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat at 1st level. Though she pursues specialized techniques which slow her mastery of spellcasting, an iron mage studies magic in the same way as a wizard. She can use spell completion and spell trigger items containing sorcerer/wizard spells of any level, and qualifies for the Spell Mastery feat as if she were a wizard.

Cantrips: Iron mages can prepare a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, each day, as noted on the class table. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again.

Focus School: Every iron mage selects one school of arcane magic as the primary focus of her studies. This choice is made at 1st level, and cannot be changed.

School Power (Sp): At 2nd, 8th, 13th and 19th levels, an iron mage gains an ability determined by her focus school.

Spells: An iron mage casts arcane spells drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. An iron mage must choose and prepare her spells in advance.

To learn, prepare or cast a spell, the iron mage must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an iron mage's spell is 10 + the spell level + the iron mage's Intelligence modifier.

An iron mage can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on the class table. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Intelligence score. When the class table indicates that the iron mage gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, she gains only the bonus spells she would be entitled to based on her Intelligence score for that spell level.

An iron mage may know any number of spells. She must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour studying her spellbook. While studying, the iron mage decides which spells to prepare.

An iron mage's caster level is equal to her iron mage level. However, when casting spells or using spell completion items from schools other than the Universal school or her focus school, she suffers a -3 penalty to her caster level (minimum 1st level).

Spellbooks: An iron mage must study her spellbook each day to prepare her spells. She cannot prepare any spell not recorded in her spellbook, except for read magic, which all iron mages can prepare from memory. A character with levels in both iron mage and wizard can use a single spellbook; though the two classes' spells are distinct when prepared, they are recorded identically and need only be learned once.

An iron mage begins play with a spellbook containing the spells arcane mark, prestidigitation and read magic, plus one 0-level spell from her focus school. At each new iron mage level, she gains one new spell of any spell level that she can cast (based on her new iron mage level) for her spellbook. At any time, an iron mage can also add spells found in other spellbooks to her own.

Witching (Su): An iron mage imbues her weapons with arcane power as if using the Arcane Strike feat, granting a damage bonus and causing her attacks to count as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. The damage bonus granted by this ability is equal to her witching rank, initially 1 and increasing by 1 for every 5 iron mage levels. She gains this benefit on every attack she makes, without needing to spend the swift action normally required to activate Arcane Strike. In addition, the iron mage's weapons are imbued with an effect determined by her focus school. Witching is ineffective against targets more than 30 feet from the iron mage.

Counter-Threat (Ex): Beginning at 2nd level, as part of the action used to cast a spell or activate a spell-like ability, an iron mage can designate one opponent she threatens in melee. The current action does not provoke attacks of opportunity from that opponent. This ability is not limited to spells and spell-like abilities gained from the iron mage class.

Warding (Su): A 2nd level iron mage learns to weave potent defenses into her magical aura. As long as she is conscious she gains a warding benefit determined by her focus school, initially at rank 1. Her warding rank improves by 1 at 5th level and every 3 levels thereafter.

Curricula: At 3rd level, and every 4 levels thereafter, an iron mage masters a curriculum selected from the list below. An iron mage cannot select the same curriculum more than once.
- Bonus Feat: The iron mage gains a bonus feat, for which she must meet any prerequisites. This feat must be a combat, item creation or metamagic feat, or Spell Mastery.
- Cram Session: The iron mage gains Spell Mastery as a bonus feat. She also gains fluency (see below) with one additional spell.
- Distant Witching: The iron mage's witching and greater witching effects apply to attacks at any range, rather than being limited to targets within 30 feet.
- Familiar: The iron mage obtains a familiar. This ability functions like the wizard arcane bond ability, using the iron mage's class level as her effective wizard level. If the iron mage already has a familiar, her class level stacks with levels from any other class which grants a familiar to determine her effective wizard level. An iron mage may not select the bonded item benefit of the arcane bond ability, and cannot select this curriculum if she already possesses a bonded item.
- Greater Focus: Spells and abilities from the iron mage's focus school gain a +2 bonus to the DCs of any saving throws they generate. This ability does not stack with bonuses granted by the Spell Focus, Greater Spell Focus or Ability Focus feats.
- Handy Trick: The iron mage can activate her dampening field, expedience, forcecube or stifle ability 2 additional times per day. She can also activate that ability as a swift action, but doing so reduces its duration by 1 round.
- Heavy Metal: The iron mage gains proficiency with heavy armor and tower shields. Her spells ignore any arcane spell failure chance from worn armor or shields.
- Metafluency: The iron mage gains any one metamagic feat as a bonus feat. She must meet any prerequisites for that feat. When applying metamagic to a spell which she has selected for her fluency class feature, that spell is no longer automatically Hightened one level, but the final effective level of the spell is reduced by one (to a minimum of its original level). If she uses fluency to cast a spell spontaneously, she does not gain this benefit but instead can apply metamagic to that spell without increasing its casting time.
- Magewright: The iron mage gains Craft Magic Arms and Armor as a bonus feat. She also chooses one of Craft (armor), Craft (bows) or Craft (weapons) and gains Skill Focus for that skill as a bonus feat.
- Martial Drill: The iron mage gains any one combat feat as a bonus feat. She must meet any prerequisites for that feat. For the purpose of meeting feat prerequisites she is considered to have a number of Fighter levels equal to her iron mage level, in addition to any actual fighter levels she may possess.
- Remedial Wizardry: The iron mage no longer suffers a -3 penalty to her caster level for spells from schools other than her focus school and the Universal school. She may prepare one additional additional 0-level spell per day, and immediately learns a number of 0-level wizard spells equal to her Intelligence modifier.
- Twin Style: When wielding a melee weapon with which she is proficient and keeping at least one hand empty and unrestrained, the iron mage can use touch spells in tandem with physical attacks. She can cast and deliver a touch spell (or deliver the charge from a held touch spell) as part of a full attack action, or in place of her melee attack when making an attack of opportunity. This does not incur two-weapon fighting penalties, but the touch attack and any concentration checks required to cast the spell suffer a -5 penalty. Spells with a casting time of more than 1 standard action cannot be cast in this way. When casting in place of an attack of opportunity, the iron mage must designate the target of that attack as her counter-threat opponent.
- Weapon Component: With an uninterrupted hour of meditation and practice, the iron mage can attune herself to a melee weapon with which she is proficient. When wielding that weapon she gains the benefit of the Eschew Materials feat when casting iron mage spells, and can substitute the weapon for any spell focus item costing 1gp or less. She can also use a hand holding that weapon to perform somatic components. An iron mage can only be attuned in this way with one weapon at a time.

Arcane Conversion: As a swift action, an iron mage can sacrifice one of her prepared spells of 1st level or higher to increase her witching rank by an amount equal to the sacrificed spell's level for one round.

School Spell: At 4th level, and every 3 levels thereafter, an iron mage learns an additional spell from her focus school, which can be of any level that she can cast.

Fluency: At 6th level, and every 3 levels thereafter, the iron mage learns one spell by rote. She selects a spell which is already in her spellbook. From now on, she can prepare that spell without referring to a spellbook, and can sacrifice a prepared spell of equal or greater level to cast it spontaneously. If prepared normally, the spell uses a slot of its normal level but is treated as Heightened by one level (or one additional level if it is already Heightened). If a 0-level spell is chosen for fluency, the iron mage can cast it spontaneously without needing to sacrifice a prepared spell. The iron mage must select a different spell each time she gains this ability.

Improved Counter-Threat: An iron mage of 9th level or higher never provokes attacks of opportunity from foes she threatens when casting spells or using spell-like abilities.

Greater Warding (Su): A 12th level iron mage gains an additional benefit from her warding, determined by her focus school. She may suppress or resume this effect as a swift action.

Greater Witching (Su): At 16th level, if an iron mage uses the attack action, her attack causes an additional effect depending on her focus school. This effect does not apply to targets more than 30 feet away.

Dire witching: A 20th level iron mage can apply her greater witching effect to any weapon attack. When she uses the attack action, her witching rank is doubled for that attack.

Focus Schools
Each iron mage must choose from among the following schools. The DC to save against most school abilities is equal to 10 + 1/2 the iron mage's level + the iron mage's Intelligence modifier. The DC to save against the school powers gained at 13th and 19th level is determined as if they were 6th and 9th level spells, respectively.

Abjuration
You specialize in hindering your enemies' offense, whether physical or magical.
Witching: Your weapons count as all alignments for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. A creature damaged by your attack suffers a penalty equal to your witching rank to attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, CMB, and the DC of any saving throws caused by its spells or abilities. This penalty lasts for one round.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack finds itself pacified. For one round, it treats all other creatures as if they were protected by the sanctuary spell.
Warding: You gain a deflection bonus to AC equal to your warding rank.
Greater Warding: You gain spell resistance equal to your iron mage level + 10.
School powers:
- Dampening Field (Sp): At 2nd level, you can emanate an aura of protective magic which lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1 + your Intelligence bonus. Choose acid, cold, electricity, fire or sonic; all creatures and objects within 10 feet of you gain resist energy 10 against that energy type. At 11th level your dampening field grants resist energy 20. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
- Unfettered (Su): Once per day at 8th level, as a swift action, you can bestow the benefits of the freedom of movement spell to yourself or any creature within 30 feet for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. You can use this ability twice per day at 14th level, and 3 times per day at 20th level.
- Greater Dispel Magic (Sp): You can use greater dispel magic as a spell-like ability once per day at 13th level and twice per day at 17th level.
- Prismatic Sphere (Sp): You can use prismatic sphere as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level.

Evocation
You wield pure energies, both raw destructive elements and controlled fields of force.
Witching: Your weapons are considered to have the ghost touch enhancement, and additionally deal 1d4 extra force damage per witching rank you possess.
Greater Witching: A wave of force follows your weapon, buffeting any creature or object struck. The target flies 10 feet in a direction of your choice and is knocked prone. Huge and Gargantuan targets are only moved 5 feet by this ability, and Colossal targets are not moved (but still knocked prone). You can only push the target in a straight line, and it can't move closer to you than the square it started in. If an obstacle prevents the target's motion, it and the obstacle each take 1d6 points of damage, and the target stops in the space adjacent to the obstacle.
Warding: A floating disk of force grants you a shield bonus to AC equal to your warding rank.
Greater Warding: Whenever you are damaged by a physical attack, the impact triggers a burst of force which streaks back to the attacker, dealing damage equal to your warding rank. Ranged attackers take this damage only if they are within 30 feet of you. Any effect which prevents or absorbs damage from magic missiles also affects your greater warding.
School powers:
- Force Cube (Sp): At 2nd level, you can create a cube of force measuring up to 5 feet on each side, occupying any empty space within 30 feet. The cube is transparent, but shimmers visibly. It lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1 + your Intelligence bonus, and otherwise has the same properties as a resilient sphere. At 11th level you can increase your force cube's dimensions, up to 10 feet on each side. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier. If you attempt to create a force cube in an occupied space, it fails to appear but still counts against your daily uses.
- Spell Channeling (Su): Once per day at 8th level, as a swift action, you can imbue a weapon you are wielding with an instantaneous evocation spell which you currently have prepared. Spells with costly material or focus components, or with a casting time greater than 1 standard action, cannot be used with this ability. The next successful attack made with the imbued weapon delivers the spell's effects to the creature struck. Spells delivered in this way do not allow Reflex saving throws, but other saving throws are made as normal and any spell resistance the target possesses must still be overcome. Regardless of the spell's normal targets or area of effect, only the creature or object struck is affected. If there is no meaningful way for the spell to affect the target, it is harmlessly discharged. If a successful attack is not made with the imbued weapon within a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level, the imbued spell is lost. You can use this ability twice per day at 14th level, and 3 times per day at 20th level.
- Forceful Hand (Sp): You can use forceful hand as a spell-like ability once per day at 13th level and twice per day at 17th level.
- Meteor Swarm (Sp): You can use meteor swarm as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level.

Necromancy
You weave dire magic to confound your foes, and fortify your body with negative energy.
Witching: Your weapons count as piercing, slashing and bludgeoning for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. A creature damaged by your attack suffers a penalty equal to your witching rank to AC, CMD and saving throws. This penalty takes effect at the end of the current turn, and lasts for one round.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack suffers a severe curse of unluck for one round. Any time the creature makes an ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or skill check, it must roll twice and take the worse result.
Warding: You gain DR 1/— per warding rank you possess.
Greater Warding: You emanate an unnerving aura of necromantic energy. This aura causes creatures within 30 feet whose hit dice total no more than 1/2 your iron mage level to become shaken, with no save. As a swift action you can momentarily increase the intensity of this aura, giving yourself a frightful presence. When you do, all opponents within 30 feet must succeed on a Will saving throw with DC equal to 10 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier or become shaken for a number of rounds equal to your warding rank. A successful save makes that creature immune to your frightful presence for 24 hours, though weak creatures are still shaken by your aura. Your frightful presence stacks with your aura, so a creature affected by both becomes frightened.
School powers:
- Stifle (Sp): At 2nd level, you can cause a creature within 30 feet to become fatigued for a number of rounds equal to 1 + your Intelligence bonus if it fails a Fortitude saving throw. At 11th level a creature you stifle is exhausted for the duration if it fails its save, and fatigued even if it succeeds. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
- False Flesh (Su): Once per day at 8th level, as an immediate action, you can gain temporary hit points equal to twice your iron mage level. This ability can be activated in time to absorb the damage from an incoming attack or spell. These temporary hit points vanish at the beginning of your next turn. You can use this ability twice per day at 14th level, and 3 times per day at 20th level.
- Eyebite (Sp): You can use eyebite as a spell-like ability once per day at 13th level and twice per day at 17th level.
- Energy Drain (Sp): You can use energy drain as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level.

Transmutation
You create combat advantages by manipulating time, space and substance.
Witching: You gain a bonus to attack rolls equal to your witching rank, and your weapons bypass any damage reduction which would be overcome by special materials such as cold iron, silver or adamantine. A creature damaged by your attack suffers a penalty to all of its movement speeds equal to 10 feet × your witching rank. This penalty lasts for one round, and cannot reduce a creature's movement to less than 5 feet.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack becomes slowed for one round (as the slow spell).
Warding: You gain an enhancement bonus to natural armor equal to your warding rank.
Greater Warding: Your natural reach increases by 5 feet and opponents flanking you do not receive the usual +2 bonus to attack.
School powers:
- Expedience (Sp): At 2nd level, you can grant the effects of the expeditious retreat spell to yourself or another creature within 30 feet for a number of rounds equal to 1 + your Intelligence bonus. At 11th level, you instead grant the effects of haste. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
- Distortion (Su): Once per day at 8th level, as a swift action, you can change the size of yourself or one creature within 30 feet of you, increasing or decreasing it by one size category. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. An unwilling creature is entitled to a Fortitude saving throw. Except as noted above, this ability is equivalent to enlarge person or reduce person and does not stack with similar effects. You can use this ability twice per day at 14th level, and 3 times per day at 20th level.
- Disintegrate (Sp): You can use disintegrate as a spell-like ability once per day at 13th level and twice per day at 17th level.
- Etherealness (Sp): You can use etherealness as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level.

I missed the general window to comment on the playtest. This was partly due to being busy with other things, and also partly due to deliberately holding back: I'm the author of a sort-of competing product, and didn't want to let that bias my comments and suggestions (or conversely, since mine's not yet published and technically can still be revised, risk the temptation of stealing ideas). So, it took me a while to sort everything out. Oh well! Here goes. :)

1. Role

What does the magus do, in or out of a fight? How does he aid the party? There's a whole big thread dedicated to this topic, and nobody can completely agree. That's because, in a nutshell, he tries to do too many things at once. This is a problem whether or not he's actually good at them: if he's not good at anything, he's just not good; but if he's really good at one thing and kind of good at others, he might wind up putting other classes out of business, which is also undesirable.

Narrow it down. Focus on a core behavioral concept. First and foremost, what does this guy want to achieve? As I see it, the intended flavor is that he is a reasonably competent spellcaster who happens to enjoy the visceral experience of combat, and spends meaningful time practicing that too. Now, the problem is that this is still not specific enough for the core concept. Before optional features are considered, is the default magus more likely to be a skirmisher, who hits hard but tries to avoid return attacks? Or is he a bruiser, who wades in and takes as much as he dishes?

To me, the magus looks like he wants to be a skirmisher. This is one of the places where I may be displaying some bias, because my Iron Mage is the bruiser by default and I'd rather see a wide-open niche than Paizo killing my class with an official replacement. ;) But there are mechanical facts which clearly support this idea: he has a d8 hit die, starts with light armor and cannot use a shield. Quite simply, he's not set up to take hits. This should be embraced, and in compensation he should be able to end fights with an opportune strike, or at least cripple opponents so they can't properly return the attack -- and indeed, the intent of Spell Combat and Spellstrike appears to be exactly that.

2. Chassis

Sticking with the d8 HD + 3/4 BAB is fine, as is the 6-level progression, but I'm going to take the position that this class wants to be spontaneous. Again, there may be bias shown here: the Iron Mage is wizard-styled, with similar flavor about deliberately studying and merging the two styles. However, consider a few things.

1: The Magus will pretty obviously have a few favorite combat spells, with a handful of conditional second picks; spontaneous generally works better for this, giving you more versatility at any given moment even though you have fewer total spells in your repertoire.

2: The 6-level progression is built for spontaneous casters in the first place; the alchemist is the only precedent here, but he's an odd duck in several ways already, not least of which is the fact that he isn't actually casting spells. As a side-effect, the magus gets more spells per day than a generalist wizard despite supposedly learning them the same way, which isn't mechanically a problem since they're lower-level, but causes some cognitive dissonance regarding the flavor.

3: Also flavor-related: if the magus is learning spells like a wizard, why does he have a unique and limited spell list? That question might not be so urgent, except for the fact that said spell list includes spells from every school with the odd exception of Necromancy. Illusions, enchantments, divinations, he's got 'em. Yet he has no option for specialization... even though, to cast as many spells per day, a wizard must specialize. Make him spontaneous, and all these questions go away (except, perhaps, "where's chill touch").

A quick aside, to counterpoint my above self-caution about bias, the same thinking was done for the Iron Mage. That's why he's a full-BAB four-level spellbook-using prepared caster who just uses the wizard spell list but is required to specialize. The magus is currently the opposite in every way except for preparation, and to me that feels logically inconsistent.

Now, it could be argued that the traditional elf flavor is an argument for an Intelligence-based magus; I'd like to present the opposite argument: that elves contribute to the continued relevance of the Eldritch Knight (not to mention Arcane Archer, which was once elf-only). And on the flip side, sorcerers are generally considered a poor choice for EK since they get their spells a level later... so a pre-built fighter/sorcerer fills more gaps than a pre-built fighter/mage.

3. Spell Combat

This is the real meat of the class, and it needs work as intended, and it should be gained at 1st level. Here's my proposal, and the wording is exact:

"As a full-round action, a magus may both perform the full attack action and cast a magus spell with a casting time of no more than 1 standard action. These actions may occur in either order, and the magus can take a 5-foot step between them. A spell cast in this way does not provoke attacks of opportunity from opponents the magus threatens. Spells with material and/or somatic components still require a free hand to cast."

No penalties to attack, because he's already taking them in the form of having a 3/4 BAB. No required concentration check (but only partial immunity to AOOs) because, dude, this is his thing. 1H+freehand is still the obvious style, but not explicitly mandated, allowing more creative builds. The synergy with Spellstrike is now fairly obvious at 1st level: it's not a weapon enhancement, it's extra chances to hit with a flubbed touch spell.

4. Other Class Features

These are less important things, so I'll spend less time on them.

Fighter Training can safely be moved to 1st level. It doesn't actually do anything until 2nd, so that's fine too. It doesn't actually do anything until 8th, but future material could conceivably change that. But 10th is one level too late to pick up Weapon Specialization at 9th! (A possibility would be to also allow the magus to qualify for feats as if his BAB = his level, though then this really should be at 1st.)

Make the Concentrate arcanum a base ability at 2nd level (maybe 1st, but it's less necessary now and 1st is getting crowded), usable 3+Cha(/Int) times per day. Any arcanum which currently burns a spell, instead burns a Concentrate use. I can't remember who I stole this idea from, and Search isn't helping, so sorry for giving no credit. :)

As a result, arcana are no longer tied to spell level; I'd suggest changing that to level / 2 in all cases. (Shield needs the buff; it doesn't seem overpowered for the rest. Dispel would probably be fine with no level cap at all.) I'd also recommend adding the ability to get extra uses out of the metamagic arcana by burning Concentrates. Keep the base 1/day; extra uses cost as many Concentrates as they'd normally cost spell levels.

In the same spirit as removing the explicit one-hand-free stipulation on Spell Combat, Arcane Weapon shouldn't be limited to melee only. If arcana are merged with bonus feats and switched to every other level as some have suggested, move Arcane Weapon down to 3rd. (Level/3 is the requirement for weapon enhancements, so it doesn't really break anything.)

Medium armor proficiency should be optional, picked up through an arcanum. BTW, the singular is "arcanum." ;) This arcanum should negate all spell failure chance. Training with heavy armor and shields is never provided as a class feature -- but if the character picks them up with feats or a Fighter dip, they're usable.

The idea of an Arcane Armor to match Arcane Weapon is interesting and seems class-appropriate. Might actually be too good, but worth considering. It would fit in at a higher level, to fill the gaps left by removed or obsolete abilities (e.g. armor proficiencies, improved/greater spell combat).

Counterstrike seems entirely random. Maybe make it an arcanum, unless you're going to add some additional anti-mage flavor to the core.

I've got a favor to ask, could you contact me: tanuki@gmail.com

One-week bump for good measure...

Has anyone actually tried playing with a monk at d10 HD and full BAB?

Has gangrene been presented anywhere as a PF-style affliction?

Originally from the Iron Mage thread in the house rules forum. Moved here to keep that thread focused on developing the class. Anyone interested, feel free to participate!

I have a co-player that would probably be willing to try this in RL in a campaign But she is not really that good at optimizing so do you have some suggestions to make an easy but effective Iron-Mage so that she does not feel gimped and we can see how it performs compared to some more optimized characters.

She will start at level 11(she was a level 4 fighter/wizard before a time jump) and she wants to play a female dwarf outcast. The world we are playing in does not have very forgiving dwarves and magic is not something they allow, so she has a brand burned into her forehead. She likes to go straight for the kill with a dwarven waraxe but like to throw in a few tricky spells to keep the enemy on thier feet as well as buff herself. It is only very rarely she uses blasts. School wise she isn't very picky but does not want necromancy.

thank you for taking you time. :)

Ooh, sounds like a perfect Transmuter... dwarves benefit greatly from the speed manipulation. Already has stats, I assume -- what are they, at level 4? Does the current version have a familiar? ...heck, you might as well post the whole character sheet. :)

Iron Mage

Role: Iron mages are not content to fling spells from shy safety, protected by more stalwart guardians. They are the bold guardians, the front-line warriors, at home in the heart of a fray. They survive through martial training, but wield an arcane arsenal.

Starting Gold: 5d6x10.
Starting Age: As wizard.

Alignment: Any.
Hit Die / BAB: d10 / Full.
Good Saves: Fortitude, Will.

Class Skills: Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (engineering) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str).
Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier.

-- Spell progression as Paladin/Ranger. --

1st: Arcane initiate, cantrips, school focus, witching 1
2nd: Counter-threat, school power, warding 1
3rd: Focused study
4th: Arcane conversion, school spell
5th: Warding 2, witching 2
6th: Fluency
7th: Focused study, school spell
8th: School power, warding 3
9th: Fluency, improved counter-threat
10th: School spell, witching 3
11th: Focused study, warding 4
12th: Fluency, greater warding
13th: School power, school spell
14th: Warding 5
15th: Fluency, focused study, witching 4
16th: Greater witching, school spell
17th: Warding 6
18th: Fluency
19th: Focused study, school power, school spell
20th: Dire witching, warding 7, witching 5

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Iron mages are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light and medium armor and shields (except tower shields). An iron mage does not incur the normal arcane spell failure chance from wearing light or medium armor, or from wearing a shield. Like any other arcane spellcaster, an iron mage wearing heavy armor incurs a chance of spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass iron mage still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Arcane Initiate: An iron mage gains Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat at 1st level. Though he pursues highly specialized techniques which slow his mastery of spellcasting, an iron mage studies the same craft as a wizard. He draws his spells from the sorcerer/wizard list and is considered to have full access to that list, granting him the ability to use spell completion and spell trigger items containing sorcerer/wizard spells of any level. He also qualifies for the Spell Mastery feat.

Cantrips: Iron mages can prepare one cantrip, or 0-level spell, each day. This spell is cast like any other spell, but is not expended when cast and may be used again. At 4th level an iron mage can prepare 2 0-level spells per day.

School Focus: Every iron mage selects a primary school of arcane magic which he studies more extensively than the others. His school of focus determines the effects of his witching and warding abilities, and grants several additional powers. He may choose to focus on Abjuration, Evocation, Necromancy or Transmutation. This choice is made at 1st level, and cannot be changed.

Spellbooks: An iron mage must study his spellbook each day to prepare his spells. He cannot prepare any spell not recorded in his spellbook. A character with levels in both iron mage and wizard can use a single spellbook; though the two classes' spells are distinct when prepared, they are recorded identically and need only be learned once.

An iron mage begins play with a spellbook containing the spells arcane mark, prestidigitation and read magic, plus one 0-level spell from his school of focus. At each new iron mage level, he gains one new spell of any spell level that he can cast (based on his new iron mage level) for his spellbook. At any time, an iron mage can also add spells found in other spellbooks to his own.

Witching (Su): An iron mage imbues his weapons with arcane power, granting a damage bonus and causing his attacks to count as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction, as if using the Arcane Strike feat. The damage bonus granted by this ability is equal to his witching rank, initially 1 and increasing by 1 every 5 iron mage levels. He gaining this benefit on every attack he makes, without needing to spend the swift action normally required to activate Arcane strike. In addition, the iron mage's weapons are imbued with an effect determined by his school of focus. The witching effect is linked to carefully cultivated arcane patterns in the iron mage's own magical aura, and is ineffective when used against targets more than 30 feet away.

Counter-Threat (Ex): Beginning at 2nd level, as part of the action used to cast a spell or activate a spell-like ability, an iron mage can designate one opponent he threatens in melee. The current action does not provoke attacks of opportunity from that opponent. This ability is not limited to spells and spell-like abilities gained from the iron mage class.

Warding (Su): A 2nd level iron mage learns to weave magic into potent defenses. As long as he is conscious, he gains the rank 1 warding benefit from his school of focus. At 5th level and every 3 levels thereafter, his warding rank improves by 1.

Focused Study: Confronted with the necessity of maintaining two very different skill sets, an iron mage seeking to expand his abilities frequently focuses on a single, narrow goal, allowing him to more easily concentrate on the concepts and techniques involved. At 3rd level and every 4 levels thereafter, he gains a new benefit from these studies, selected from the list below. An iron mage cannot select an individual study more than once.
- Distant Witching: The iron mage's witching effects apply to attacks at any range, rather than being limited to targets within 30 feet.
- Familiar: The iron mage obtains a familiar. This ability functions like the wizard arcane bond ability, using the iron mage's class level as his effective wizard level. If the iron mage already has a familiar, his class level stacks with levels from any other class which grants a familiar to determine his effective wizard level. An iron mage may not select the bonded item benefit of the arcane bond ability, and cannot select this study if he already possesses a bonded item.
- Fully Fortified: The iron mage gains proficiency with heavy armor and tower shields. His spells ignore any arcane spell failure chance from worn armor or shields.
- Greater School Focus: The iron mage's class abilities and spells from his school of focus gain a +2 bonus to the DCs of any saving throws they generate. This ability does not stack with bonuses granted by the Spell Focus, Greater Spell Focus or Ability Focus feats.
- Handy Trick: The iron mage can activate his dampening field, expedience, forcecube or stifle ability as a swift action, and he can use that ability 2 additional times per day.
- Metafluency: The iron mage gains any one metamagic feat as a bonus feat. He must meet any prerequisites for that feat. When applying metamagic to a spell which he has selected for his spell fluency class feature, that spell is no longer automatically Hightened one level, but the final effective level of the spell is reduced by one (to a minimum of its original level). If he uses spell fluency to cast a spell spontaneously, he does not gain this benefit but instead can apply metamagic to that spell without increasing its casting time.
- Magewright: The iron mage gains Craft Magic Arms and Armor as a bonus feat. He also gains a +2 bonus to Spellcraft checks made to create magic items with this feat.
- Martial Drill: The iron mage gains any one combat feat as a bonus feat. He must meet any prerequisites for that feat. For the purpose of meeting feat prerequisites, he is considered to have a number of Fighter levels equal to his iron mage level, in addition to any actual fighter levels he may possess.
- Remedial Wizardry: The iron mage no longer suffers a -3 penalty to his caster level for spells from schools other than his school of focus and the Universal school. He may prepare one additional additional 0-level spell per day, and immediately learns a number of 0-level wizard spells equal to his Intelligence modifier.
- Weapon Attunement: By spending an uninterrupted hour practicing with a melee weapon with which he is proficient, the iron mage can attune his reflexes to its particular heft and balance. When wielding that weapon, he gains the benefit of the Eschew Materials feat when casting iron mage spells, and can substitute the weapon for any spell focus item costing 1gp or less. He can also use a hand holding that weapon to perform somatic components. An iron mage can only attune himself to one weapon at a time.

Arcane Conversion: As a swift action, an iron mage can sacrifice one of his prepared spells of 1st level or higher to increase his witching rank by an amount equal to the sacrificed spell's level for one round.

Spells: Beginning at 4th level, an iron mage gains the ability to cast a small number of arcane spells which are drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. An iron mage must choose and prepare his spells in advance.

To learn, prepare or cast a spell, the iron mage must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an iron mage's spell is 10 + the spell level + the iron mage's Intelligence modifier.

Like other spellcasters, an iron mage can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on (see Table: Paladin). In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligence score. When (see Table: Paladin) indicates that the iron mage gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Intelligence score for that spell level.

An iron mage may know any number of spells. He must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour studying his spellbook. While studying, the iron mage decides which spells to prepare.

An iron mage's caster level is equal to his iron mage level. However, when casting spells or using spell completion items from schools other than his school of focus or the Universal school, he suffers a -3 penalty to his caster level (minimum 1st level).

School spell: At 4th level, and every 3 levels thereafter, an iron mage learns an additional spell from his school of focus, which can be of any level that he can cast.

Fluency: At 6th level, and every 3 levels thereafter, the iron mage learns one spell by rote. He selects a spell which is already in his spellbook. From now on, he can prepare that spell without referring to a spellbook, and can sacrifice a prepared spell of equal or greater level to cast it spontaneously. If prepared normally, the spell uses a slot of its normal level but is treated as Heightened by one level (or one additional level if it is already Heightened). He must select a different spell each time he gains this ability.

Improved counter-threat: An iron mage of 9th level or higher never provokes attacks of opportunity from foes he threatens when casting spells or using spell-like abilities.

Greater Warding (Su): An 12th level iron mage gains an additional benefit from his warding, as dictated by his school of focus. He may suppress or resume this effect as a free action.

Greater Witching (Su): At 16th level, if an iron mage uses the attack action to make only a single attack in a round, he performs a greater witching which causes additional effects depending on his school of focus.

Dire witching: A 20th level iron mage can forego multiple attacks to devastate an enemy. When he uses the attack action, in addition to performing a greater witching, his witching rank is doubled for that attack.

Schools
Abjuration
Your specialize in hindering the enemy's offense, whether physical or magical.
Witching: A creature damaged by your attack suffers a penalty equal to your witching rank to attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, CMB, and the DC of any saving throws caused by its spells or abilities. This penalty lasts for one round. Your weapons count as all alignments for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack finds itself pacified. For one round, it treats all other creatures as if they were protected by the sanctuary spell. The Will saving throw DC to overcome this protection is equal to 10 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier.
Warding: You gain a deflection bonus to AC equal to your warding rank.
Greater Warding: You gain spell resistance equal to your iron mage level + 12.
School powers:
- Dampening Field (Sp): At 2nd level, you can emanate an aura of protective magic which lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1 + your Intelligence bonus. Choose acid, cold, electricity, fire or sonic; all creatures and objects within 10 feet of you gain resist energy 10 against that energy type. At 11th level your dampening field grants resist energy 20. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
- Unfettered (Su): Once per day at 8th level, as a swift action, you can bestow the benefits of the freedom of movement spell to yourself or any creature within 30 feet for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. You can use this ability twice per day at 14th level, and 3 times per day at 20th level.
- Greater Dispel Magic (Sp): You can use greater dispel magic as a spell-like ability once per day at 13th level and twice per day at 17th level.
- Prismatic Sphere (Sp): You can use prismatic sphere as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level.

Evocation
Yours is the magic of raw energy and destruction, but also of controlled force.
Witching: Your weapons deal an extra 1d4 force damage per witching rank. Your weapons are considered to have the ghost touch enhancement.
Greater Witching: A wave of force follows your weapon, brutally impacting against any creature or object struck. You can make a free bull rush attempt against the target with a circumstance bonus equal to your witching rank. If your bull rush is successful the target flies away from you and falls prone. Unlike a normal bull rush, you cannot follow your target. The target moves the full distance indicated by your bull rush result unless an obstacle prevents it, in which case it falls in the nearest square adjacent to that obstacle, and both your target and the obstacle take 1d6 points of damage.
Warding: A floating disk of force grants you a shield bonus to AC equal to your warding rank. This force shield also blocks all damage from magic missiles.
Greater Warding: Whenever you are hit with a successful weapon attack the impact triggers a burst of force which streaks back to the attacker, dealing damage equal to your warding rank. Ranged attacks trigger this effect only if the attacker is within 30 feet. Any effect which prevents or absorbs damage from magic missiles also affects your greater warding.
School powers:
- Forcecube (Sp): At 2nd level, you can create a transparent but visibly shimmering cube of force measuring up to 5 feet on each side, occupying any empty space within 30 feet. The cube lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1 + your Intelligence modifier, and otherwise has the same properties as a resilient sphere. At 11th level you can increase any your forcecube's dimensions up to 10 feet on each side. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier. If you attempt to create a forcecube in an occupied space it fails to appear but still counts against your daily usage.
- Spell Channeling (Su): Once per day at 8th level, as a swift action, you can imbue a weapon you are wielding with any evocation spell you have prepared which does not have a costly material or focus component. The spell is expended as if cast. The next successful attack made with that weapon delivers the spell's effects to the creature struck, allowing no saving throw. You must still overcome any spell resistance the target may possess, but you can substitute your successful attack roll for the caster level check to do so. Regardless of the spell's normal targets or area of effect, only the creature or object struck is affected. If there is no meaningful way for the spell to affect the target, it is harmlessly discharged. If a successful attack is not made with the imbued weapon within a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level, the imbued spell is lost. You can use this ability twice per day at 14th level, and 3 times per day at 20th level.
- Forceful Hand (Sp): You can use forceful hand as a spell-like ability once per day at 13th level and twice per day at 17th level.
- Meteor Swarm (Sp): You can use meteor swarm as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level.

Necromancy
You weave dire curses to confound your foes, and fortify your own body with negative energy.
Witching: A creature damaged by your attack suffers a penalty equal to your witching rank to AC, CMD and saving throws. This penalty takes effect immediately after your current turn ends, and lasts for one round. Your weapons count as piercing, slashing and bludgeoning for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack suffers a severe curse of unluck for one round. Any time the creature makes an ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or skill check, it must roll twice and take the worse result.
Warding: You gain DR X/—, where X is your warding rank.
Greater Warding: You emanate an unnerving aura of necromantic energy. This aura causes creatures within 30 feet whose hit dice total no more than 1/2 your iron mage level to become shaken, with no save. As a free action you can momentarily increase the intensity of this aura, giving yourself a frightful presence. When you do, all opponents within 30 feet must succeed on a Will saving throw with DC equal to 10 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier, or become shaken for a number of rounds equal to your warding rank. Creatures already shaken by your aura become frightened instead. A successful save makes that creature immune to your frightful presence for 24 hours, though weaker creatures are still automatically shaken by your aura.
School powers:
- Stifle (Sp): At 2nd level, you can cause a creature within 30 feet to become fatigued for a number of rounds equal to 1 + your Intelligence bonus if it fails a Fortitude saving throw (DC = 10 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier). At 11th level a creature you stifle is exhausted for the duration if it fails its save, and fatigued otherwise. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
- False Flesh (Su): Once per day at 8th level, as an immediate action, you can gain temporary hit points equal to twice your iron mage level. This ability can be activated in time to absorb the damage from an incoming attack or spell. These temporary hit points vanish at the beginning of your next turn. You can use this ability twice per day at 14th level, and 3 times per day at 20th level.
- Eyebite (Sp): You can use eyebite as a spell-like ability once per day at 13th level and twice per day at 17th level.
- Energy Drain (Sp): You can use energy drain as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level.

Transmutation
Your subtle art manipulates time, space and substance, providing various tactical advantages.
Witching: A creature damaged by your attack suffers a penalty to all of its movement speeds equal to 10 feet × your witching rank. This penalty lasts for one round, and cannot reduce a creature's movement to less than 5 feet. You gain a bonus to attack rolls equal to your witching rank, and your weapons bypass any damage reduction which would be overcome by special materials such as cold iron, silver or adamantine.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack becomes slowed for one round (as the slow spell).
Warding: You gain an enhancement bonus to natural armor equal to your warding rank.
Greater Warding: Your natural reach increases by 5 feet and you cannot be flanked.
School powers:
- Expedience (Sp): At 2nd level, you can grant the effects of the expeditious retreat spell to yourself or another creature within 30 feet. At 11th level, you instead grant the effects of haste. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
- Distortion (Su): Once per day at 8th level, as a swift action, you can change the size of yourself or one creature within 30 feet of you, increasing or decreasing it by one size category. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. An unwilling creature is entitled to a Fortitude saving throw, DC = 10 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier. Except as noted above, this ability is equivalent to enlarge person or reduce person and does not stack with similar effects. You can use this ability twice per day at 14th level, and 3 times per day at 20th level.
- Disintegrate (Sp): You can use disintegrate as a spell-like ability once per day at 13th level and twice per day at 17th level.
- Etherealness (Sp): You can use etherealness as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level.

I put that comment in a separate post from my main review in an attempt to de-emphasize it, because while it struck me immediately as likely deliberate and probably a bad idea, it didn't seem appropriate as a voting criterion because nothing about the entry was weakened by it. The rules are very clear that use of others' IP would result in disqualification, and hey! You weren't disqualified. This was clear in my mind when I wrote what did, and I should have made that obvious. It was only a comment from someone whose feet were sorely burned last round, to not tread anywhere close to those burning lines; not a suggestion that you'd actually crossed one. If there were private messages on these boards, I wouldn't have even posted openly in the thread! I very much regret having done so, and very much hope that I didn't cost you anything by it.

That separate placement had entirely the opposite effect, blowing the whole thing out of proportion, and I feel pretty awful about it. There was also a poor choice of words on my part: when I said "...seems like a major concern..." I didn't mean anything remotely close to "this will be targeted for a lawsuit," or even "this might be rejected." It seemed like something that might be changed by a publisher erring on the side of caution, and in which case you'd probably get a note asking you, too, to err on the side of caution. That's it. When I used the word "major," I was thinking in the sense of them writing you a note back at all, rather than just silently tweaking it.

Official mouths have since spoken and made it clear that I shifted from under- to over-cautious, and as such, what I said should be completely disregarded.

I've been deliberately not responding to any further posts in that thread, because that would only perpetuate the conversation, which I absolutely don't want to do. I've briefly commented on the exit poll thread trying to dampen the fire, and pointed out in more than one place that I'm voting for you this round myself. Clark suggested a separate thread for discussion, and I figured I'd jump on that myself because in my opinion, no further discussion is warranted.

Iron Mage

Role: Iron mages are warriors first and foremost, but they use magic to supplement their attacks and bolster defenses. Though individual specialties might vary, any iron mage is a stalwart ally in battle.

Starting Gold: 5d6x10.
Starting Age: As wizard.

Alignment: Any.
Hit Die / BAB: d10 / Full.
Good Saves: Fortitude, Will.

Class Skills: Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (engineering) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str).
Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Spell progression as Paladin/Ranger.
1st: Arcane initiate, prestidigitation, school focus, witching 1
2nd: School power, warding 1
3rd: Arcane mark, Craft Magic Arms and Armor
4th: Arcane conversion, read magic, weapon component
5th: Warding 2, witching 2
6th: Spell fluency
7th: School power
8th: Warding 3
9th: Spell fluency
10th: Witching 3
11th: School power, warding 4
12th: Spell fluency
13th: Greater warding
14th: Warding 5
15th: Spell fluency, witching 4
16th: Greater witching
17th: Warding 6
18th: Spell fluency
19th: School power
20th: Warding 7, witching 5

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Iron mages are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light and medium armor and shields (except tower shields). An iron mage does not incur the normal arcane spell failure chance from wearing light or medium armor, or from wearing a shield. Like any other arcane spellcaster, an iron mage wearing heavy armor incurs a chance of spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass iron mage still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Arcane Initiate: Though he pursues highly specialized techniques which slow his mastery of spellcasting, an iron mage studies the same craft as a wizard. He draws his spells from the sorcerer/wizard list and is considered to have full access to that list, granting him the ability to use spell completion and spell trigger items containing sorcerer/wizard spells of any level. In addition, he can treat his iron mage level as his caster level to use scrolls from his school of focus (see below).

Through focused study, an iron mage learns a number of spells by rote, treating them as spell-like abilities. All spell-like abilities granted by the iron mage class require the spell's normal components, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use these abilities in heavy armor.

Prestidigitation (Sp): An iron mage can use prestidigitation, the neophyte wizard's practice spell, at will.

School Focus: Every iron mage selects a primary school of arcane magic from which he draws the majority of his power. This choice is made at 1st level, and cannot be changed. He may choose Abjuration, Evocation, Necromancy or Transmutation, and his choice determines the effects of his witching and warding abilities. At 2nd, 7th, 11th and 19th levels the iron mage gains additional powers from his school of focus.

When casting a spell from his school of focus, the iron mage gains a +3 bonus to his caster level (see spells, below) and also gains the benefits of the Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus feats, adding +2 to the DC of saving throws against such spells. These benefits also apply to spell-like abilities granted as iron mage school powers, but do not apply to spells or spell-like abilities not gained from the iron mage class.

Witching (Su): An iron mage imbues his weapons with magic, as if using the Arcane Strike feat. The damage bonus granted by this ability is equal to his witching rank, initially 1 and increasing by 1 every 5 iron mage levels. He does not need to spend the swift action required by Arcane Strike, instead gaining the benefit on every attack he makes.

In addition to this passive effect, the iron mage can further increase the potency of his attacks for a certain number of rounds each day. As a free action, he causes his weapons to gain a special enhancement determined by his school of focus. At 1st level an iron mage can activate his witching for a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + his Intelligence modifier. At each level after 1st, he can activate his witching for 2 additional rounds per day. The total number of rounds of witching per day are renewed after resting for 8 hours; these hours do not need to be consecutive.

Similar witching effects do not stack, regardless of the source.

Warding (Su): A 2nd level iron mage learns to weave magic into potent defenses. As long as he is conscious, he gains the rank 1 warding benefit from his school of focus. At 5th level and every 3 levels thereafter, his warding improves by one rank. The iron mage may suppress or resume his warding as a free action.

Arcane Mark (Sp): A 3rd level iron mage can use arcane mark at will.

Craft Magic Arms and Armor: Iron mages gain Craft Magic Arms and Armor as a bonus feat at 3rd level, ignoring the normal caster level prerequisite. Iron mage level can be used in place of caster level for the purpose of satisfying prerequisites when crafting enhancement bonuses to armor and weapons.

Arcane Conversion (Su): As a free action, an iron mage can sacrifice a prepared spell to activate his witching, adding the sacrificed spell's level to his witching rank for one round. Using this ability does not count against the iron mage's normal rounds per day of witching. The sacrificed spell is expended as if it had been cast.

Read magic (Sp): At 4th level, an iron mage can use read magic at will.

Spells: Beginning at 4th level, an iron mage gains the ability to cast a small number of arcane spells which are drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. An iron mage must choose and prepare his spells in advance.

To learn, prepare or cast a spell, the iron mage must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an iron mage's spell is 10 + the spell level + the iron mage's Intelligence modifier.

Like other spellcasters, an iron mage can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on (see Table: Paladin). In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligence score. When (see Table: Paladin) indicates that the iron mage gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Intelligence score for that spell level.

An iron mage may know any number of spells. He must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour studying his spellbook. While studying, the iron mage decides which spells to prepare.

Through 3rd level, an iron mage has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, his caster level is equal to his iron mage level – 3. Because he receives a +3 bonus to caster level from his school focus ability, the iron mage effectively uses his class level as his caster level for spells of that school.

Spellbooks: An iron mage must study his spellbook each day to prepare his spells. He cannot prepare any spell not recorded in his spellbook. A character with levels in both iron mage and wizard can use a single spellbook, and does not need to keep track of which class a recorded spell belongs to.

Upon gaining 4th level the iron mage obtains a spellbook containing one 1st level spell from his focus school, and an additional number of 1st level spells equal to his Intelligence bonus, which can be of any school. At each new iron mage level, he gains one new spell of any spell level that he can cast (based on his new iron mage level) for his spellbook. At any time, an iron mage can also add spells found in other spellbooks to his own.

Weapon Component: The iron mage carefully refines his martial techniques in tandem with spellcasting, working them into a single cohesive discipline. When wielding a melee weapon with which he is proficient, he gains the benefit of the Eschew Materials feat and can use the weapon in place of any non-costly focus component. Additionally, he can perform somatic components using the weapon as if it were a free hand.

Spell fluency: To more effectively utilize them in combat, an iron mage practices certain spells until casting them is second nature. At 6th level, he chooses one spell he knows. From that point on, he can prepare this spell without referring to a spellbook and does not provoke attacks of opportunity when casting it. When cast (or otherwise expended, as through Arcane Conversion), this spell is treated as one level higher for all purposes. Finally, if he prepares it with metamagic, the iron mage subtracts 1 from the final level of the spell slot required to cast the modified spell. (This benefit does not apply to Heighten Spell, or to metamagic which doesn't increase the slot level required for a spell.) He gains this benefit again at 9th, 12th, 15th and 18th levels, choosing a different spell each time.

Greater Warding (Su): A 13th level iron mage gains an additional benefit from his warding, as dictated by his school of focus. He may suppress or resume this effect as a free action.

Greater Witching (Su): At 16th level, if an iron mage activates his witching and uses the standard attack action, he performs a greater witching which causes additional effects depending on his school of focus.

Schools
Abjuration
Your specialize in hindering the enemy's offense, whether physical or magical.
Witching: A creatures damaged by your attack suffers a penalty equal to your witching rank to attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, CMB, and the DC of any saving throws caused by their spells or abilities. This penalty lasts for one round. Additionally, your weapons count as all alignments for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack finds itself pacified for one round. When so affected, it treats all other creatures as if they were protected by the sanctuary spell. The Will saving throw DC to overcome this protection is equal to 12 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier.
Warding: You gain a deflection bonus to AC equal to your warding rank.
Greater Warding: You gain spell resistance equal to your iron mage level + 12.
School powers:
- Dampening Field (Su): At 2nd level, as a swift action, you can emanate a 10-foot-radius aura of protective magic that lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Intelligence bonus (minimum 1). Choose acid, cold, electricity, fire or sonic; all creatures in the area gain resist energy 5 against that energy type. For every 2 additional iron mage levels you gain, the amount resisted increases by 5. Using this ability counts as using 1 round of witching.
- Unfettered (Su): Beginning at 7th level, as a swift action, you can touch a creature to bestow the benefits of the freedom of movement spell for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Greater Dispel Magic (Sp): You can use greater dispel magic as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, twice per day at 15th level and three times per day at 19th level.
- Prismatic Sphere (Sp): You can use prismatic sphere as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level.

Evocation
Yours is the magic of raw energy and destruction, but also of controlled force.
Witching: Your weapons deal an extra 1d4 force damage per witching rank, and are considered to have the ghost touch enhancement.
Greater Witching: A wave of force follows your weapon, brutally impacting against any creature struck. This attack gains double your normal bonus damage from witching and Arcane Strike and grants you a free bull rush against the target with a circumstance bonus equal to your witching rank. If your bull rush is successful the target flies away from you and falls prone. Unlike a normal bull rush, you cannot follow your target. The target moves the full distance indicated by your bull rush result unless an obstacle prevents it, in which case it falls in the nearest square adjacent to that obstacle, and both your target and the obstacle take 1d6 points of damage.
Warding: A floating disk of force grants you a shield bonus to AC equal to your warding rank. This force shield also blocks all damage from magic missiles.
Greater Warding: Whenever you take damage from a physical attack, the impact triggers a burst of force which streaks back to the attacker, dealing damage equal to your warding rank. Any effect which absorbs or prevents damage from magic missile also affects your greater warding.
School powers:
- Barrier (Su): At 2nd level, as a swift action, you can create a wall of force (as the spell). This wall must be created within 30 feet of you, is limited to an area of one 5-foot square per two iron mage levels you possess, and lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Intelligence bonus (minimum 1). Using this ability counts as using 1 round of witching.
- Spell Channeling (Su): Beginning at 7th level, as a move action, you can imbue a weapon you are wielding with any evocation spell you have prepared which does not have a costly material or focus component. The spell is expended as if cast. The next successful attack made with that weapon delivers the spell's effects to the creature struck, allowing no saving throw or spell resistance. Regardless of the spell's normal targets or area of effect, only the creature or object struck is affected. If there is no meaningful way for the spell to affect the target, it is harmlessly discharged. If a successful attack is not made with that weapon within a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level, the imbued spell is lost. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Forceful Hand (Sp): You can use forceful hand as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, twice per day at 15th level and three times per day at 19th level.
- Meteor Swarm (Sp): You can use meteor swarm as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level.

Necromancy
You weave dire curses to confound your foes, and fortify your own body with negative energy.
Witching: A creatures damaged by your attack suffers a penalty equal to your witching rank to AC, CMD and saving throws. This penalty takes effect immediately after your current turn ends, and lasts for one round. Additionally, your weapons count as piercing, slashing and bludgeoning for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack suffers a severe curse of unluck for one round. Any time the creature makes an ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or skill check, it must roll twice and take the worse result.
Warding: You gain DR X/—, where X is your warding rank.
Greater Warding: You emanate an unnerving aura of necromantic energy. This aura causes creatures within 30 feet whose hit dice total no more than 1/2 your iron mage level to become shaken, with no save. As a free action you can momentarily increase the intensity of this aura, giving yourself a frightful presence. When you do, all opponents within 30 feet must succeed on a Will saving throw with DC equal to 12 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier, or become shaken for a number of rounds equal to your warding rank. Creatures already shaken by your aura become frightened instead. A successful save makes that creature immune to your frightful presence for 24 hours, though weaker creatures are still automatically shaken by your aura.
School powers:
- Stifle (Su): At 2nd level, as a swift action, you can cause a living creature within 30 feet of you to become fatigued for a number of rounds equal to your Intelligence bonus (minimum 1). The target can negate this effect with a Fortitude save, DC = 12 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier. Using this ability counts as using 1 round of witching.
- False Flesh (Su): Beginning at 7th level, as an immediate action, you can gain temporary hit points equal to twice your iron mage level. This ability can be activated in time to absorb the damage from an incoming attack or spell. These temporary hit points vanish at the beginning of your next turn. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Eyebite (Sp): You can use eyebite as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, twice per day at 15th level and three times per day at 19th level.
- Energy Drain (Sp): You can use energy drain as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level.

Transmutation
Your subtle art manipulates time and space, providing various tactical advantages.
Witching: A creature damaged by your attack suffers a penalty to all of its movement speeds equal to 10 feet per witching rank you possess. This penalty lasts for one round, and cannot reduce a creature's movement to less than 5 feet. Additionally, you gain a bonus to attack rolls equal to your witching rank, and your weapons overcome any damage reduction which would be overcome by special materials (such as cold iron, silver or adamantine).
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack becomes slowed for one round (as the slow spell). Your witching effect can reduce this creature's speed to 0.
Warding: You gain an enhancement bonus to natural armor equal to your warding rank.
Greater Warding: Your natural reach increases by 5 feet and you cannot be flanked.
School powers:
- Expedience (Su): At 2nd level, as a swift action, you can increase all of your movement speeds by 5 feet per 2 iron mage levels you possess. This is treated as an enhancement bonus, and lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Intelligence bonus (minimum 1). Using this ability counts as using 1 round of witching.
- Distortion (Su): Beginning at 7th level, as a move action, you can change the size of yourself or one creature within 30 feet of you, increasing or decreasing it by one size category. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. An unwilling creature is entitled to a Fortitude saving throw, DC = 12 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier. Except as noted above, this ability is equivalent to enlarge person or reduce person and does not stack with similar effects. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Disintegrate (Sp): You can use disintegrate as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, twice per day at 15th level and three times per day at 19th level.
- Etherealness (Sp): You can use etherealness as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level.

Lantern Thrall (Fawan’abd) CR 5
XP 1,600
N Medium outsider (native)
Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +9
Aura thrall's boon (30 ft.)
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Defense
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AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +2 Dex, +1 dodge, +1 shield)
hp 45 (6d10+12)
Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +5
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk scimitar +10/+5 (1d6+3/18–20)
Ranged mwk composite longbow +8/+3 (1d8+3/×3)
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Statistics
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Str 17, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 14
Base Atk +6; CMB +9; CMD 20
Feats Dodge, Endurance, Improved Initiative
Skills Bluff +11, Disguise +9, Perception +9, Stealth +10; Racial Modifiers –4 Disguise
Languages Common
SQ human soul, incandescence
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Ecology
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Environment any
Organization solitary, candelabra (2–4) or chandelier (5–10)
Treasure NPC gear (mwk studded leather armor, mwk buckler, mwk scimitar, mwk composite longbow [+3 Str bonus] with 20 arrows, disguise kit, other treasure)
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Special Abilities
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Human Soul Within every lantern thrall, a human soul is suppressed—but not replaced—by a bound elemental spirit. A thrall recognizes people, places and objects known to its body-host, but remembers no events before its creation. Death severs this bond, leaving a human corpse. The human soul does not remember the thrall's experiences.
Incandescence (Su) A lantern thrall radiates light as the spell, tinted according to its type. Perception checks opposing a thrall's Stealth and Disguise checks gain a +4 circumstance bonus in dim light, and +8 in darkness. Magical darkness suppresses this glow.
Thrall's Boon (Su) Each type of lantern thrall possesses a particular aura which benefits only lantern thralls. This aura requires line of sight and is blocked by magical darkness; however, a thrall always receives its own boon. The benefit of any thrall's boon can be suspended or resumed by the recipient as a standard action. Thralls' boons of the same type do not stack.

Human in form, lantern thralls (from the Kelish fawan’abd) seem sculpted from smoked glass, translucent and lit from within. Still, carefully disguised, they often pass undetected among humans. Ageless and aimless, lantern thralls seek to serve. Though few know the secrets of their creation, many powerful beings value fawan’abd loyalty and versatility. Each lantern thrall glows a certain color and grants a certain boon, according to its type. The types of lantern thrall are listed below.

Amber Lantern Thrall
Incandescence: tawny
Thrall's Boon: Gain the effect of the blur spell.

Amethyst Lantern Thrall
Incandescence: violet
Thrall's Boon: Gain +4 natural armor.

Carnelian Lantern Thrall
Incandescence: orange
Thrall's Boon: Deal +1d8 fire damage with melee attacks.

Citrine Lantern Thrall
Incandescence: yellow
Thrall's Boon: Gain fast healing 2.

Coral Lantern Thrall
Incandescence: pink
Thrall's Boon: Gain the effect of the gaseous form spell.

Crystal Lantern Thrall
Incandescence: white
Thrall's Boon: Gain the ability to hurl an orb of cold up to 60 ft. as a standard action, dealing 2d8 damage with a successful ranged touch attack.

Garnet Lantern Thrall
Incandescence: red
Thrall's Boon: Gain a molten coating that functions as a babau's protective slime ability (see Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary, page 57) except that it deals fire damage and the Reflex save DC is 15.

Jade Lantern Thrall
Incandescence: green
Thrall's Boon: Gain a breath weapon that can be used every 4 rounds as a standard action, unleashing a 15-foot cone of slime that deals 2d8 acid damage and causes living creatures to be sickened for 3 rounds. A Reflex save (DC 15) halves the damage and negates the sickened effect.

Lapis Lantern Thrall
Incandescence: indigo
Thrall's Boon: Gain DR 5/—.

Turquoise Lantern Thrall
Incandescence: blue
Thrall's Boon: Gain the effect of the expeditious retreat spell.

Creation
Much like animating a golem, the creator of a lantern thrall binds a mephit into a living human. This human, immobilized and coated in unguents worth 1,000 gp, can attempt a Will save (DC 16) to prevent the binding. If the creator fails the requisite Heal check, the subject must also make a Fortitude save (DC 16) or be slain.

Lantern Thrall
CL 8th; Price 11,000 gp
Construction
Requirements Craft Construct, plane shift, creator must be caster level 8th; Skill Heal DC 13; Cost 6,000 gp

Let's just say I'm pushing it. :) OpenOffice disagrees with the website word count, and a while ago I remember hearing that the official count was done with MS Word (which I don't have). That was before the online word count was added. Can I trust that number, or should I leave myself some leeway?

Iron Mage

Role: Iron mages are warriors first and foremost, but they use magic to supplement their attacks and bolster defenses. Though individual specialties might vary, any iron mage is a stalwart ally in battle.

Starting Gold: As fighter (5d6x10).
Starting Age: As wizard.

Alignment: Any.
Hit Die / BAB: d10 / Full
Good Saves: Fortitude, Will

Class Skills: Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str)
Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier

Spell progression as Paladin/Ranger.
1st: Arcane initiate, prestidigitation, school focus, witching 1
2nd: School power, warding 1
3rd: Arcane mark, Craft Magic Arms and Armor
4th: Arcane conversion, read magic, weapon component
5th: Warding 2, witching 2
6th: Spell fluency
7th: School power
8th: Warding 3
9th: Spell fluency
10th: Witching 3
11th: School power, warding 4
12th: Spell fluency
13th: Greater warding
14th: Warding 5
15th: Spell fluency, witching 4
16th: Greater witching
17th: Warding 6
18th: Spell fluency
19th: School power
20th: Warding 7, witching 5

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Iron mages are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light and medium armor and shields (except tower shields). An iron mage does not incur the normal arcane spell failure chance from wearing light or medium armor, or from wearing a shield. Like any other arcane spellcaster, an iron mage wearing heavy armor incurs a chance of spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass iron mage still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Arcane Initiate: Though they pursue highly specialized techniques which slow their mastery of spellcasting, iron mages study the same craft as wizards. An iron mage draws his spells from the sorcerer/wizard list and is considered to have full access to that list, granting him the ability to use spell completion and spell trigger items containing sorcerer/wizard spells of any level.

Through focused study, an iron mage learns a number of spells by rote, treating them as spell-like abilities. Unlike most spell-like abilities, all such abilities granted by the iron mage class require the spell's normal components, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use these abilities in heavy armor.

Prestidigitation (Sp): An iron mage with an Intelligence score of at least 10 can use prestidigitation, the neophyte wizard's practice spell, at will.

School Focus: Every iron mage selects a primary school of arcane magic from which he draws the majority of his power. This choice is made at 1st level, and cannot be changed. He may choose Abjuration, Evocation, Necromancy or Transmutation, and his choice determines the effects of his witching and warding abilities. At 2nd, 7th, 11th and 19th levels the iron mage gains additional powers from his school of focus.

When casting a spell from his school of focus, the iron mage gains a +3 bonus to his caster level (see spells, below) and also gains the benefits of the Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus feats, adding +2 to the DC of saving throws against such spells. These benefits also apply to spell-like abilities granted as iron mage school powers, but do not apply to spells or spell-like abilities not gained from the iron mage class.

Witching (Su): An iron mage imbues his weapons with magic, as if using the Arcane Strike feat. The damage bonus granted by this ability is equal to his witching rank, initially 1 and increasing by 1 every 5 iron mage levels. He does not need to spend the swift action required by Arcane Strike, instead gaining the benefit on every attack he makes.

In addition to this passive effect, the iron mage can further increase the potency of his attacks certain number of times each day, causing his weapons to gain a special enhancement determined by his school of focus. This is a free action, and the effect persists for one round. At 1st level an iron mage can activate his witching for a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + his Intelligence modifier. At each level after 1st, he can activate his witching for 2 additional rounds per day. The total number of rounds of witching per day are renewed after resting for 8 hours, although these hours do not need to be consecutive.

Whether they arise from one iron mage or several, witching effects with a duration are treated as multiple applications of the same spell for the purpose of determining how and whether they stack.

Warding (Su): A 2nd level iron mage learns to weave magic into potent defenses. As long as he is conscious, he gains the rank 1 warding benefit from his school of focus. At 5th level and every 3 levels thereafter, his warding improves by one rank. The iron mage may suppress or resume his warding as a free action.

Arcane Mark (Sp): A 3rd level iron mage with an Intelligence score of at least 10 can use arcane mark at will.

Craft Magic Arms and Armor: Iron mages gain Craft Magic Arms and Armor as a bonus feat at 3rd level, ignoring the normal caster level prerequisite. For the purpose of satisfying prerequisites when crafting enhancement bonuses to armor and weapons, iron mage level can be used in place of caster level.

Arcane conversion (Su): As a free action, an iron mage can sacrifice a memorized spell to activate his witching, adding the sacrificed spell's level to his witching rank for one round. Using this ability does not count against the iron mage's normal rounds per day of witching. The sacrificed spell is expended as if it had been cast.

Read magic (Sp): At 4th level, an iron mage with an Intelligence score of at least 10 can use read magic at will.

Spells: Beginning at 4th level, an iron mage gains the ability to cast a small number of arcane spells which are drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. An iron mage must choose and prepare his spells in advance.

To learn, prepare or cast a spell, the iron mage must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an iron mage's spell is 10 + the spell level + the iron mage's Intelligence modifier.

Like other spellcasters, an iron mage can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on (see Table: Paladin). In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligence score. When (see Table: Paladin) indicates that the iron mage gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Intelligence score for that spell level.

An iron mage may know any number of spells. He must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour studying his spellbook. While studying, the iron mage decides which spells to prepare.

Through 3rd level, an iron mage has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, his caster level is equal to his iron mage level – 3. The +3 bonus to caster level granted by the iron mage's school focus effectively makes his caster level equal to his class level for spells of that school.

Spellbooks: An iron mage must study his spellbook each day to prepare his spells. He cannot prepare any spell not recorded in his spellbook. A character with levels in both iron mage and wizard can use a single spellbook, and does not need to keep track of which class a recorded spell belongs to.

Upon gaining 4th level the iron mage obtains a spellbook containing one 1st level spell from his focus school, and an additional number of 1st level spells equal to his Intelligence bonus, which can be of any school. At each new iron mage level, he gains one new spell of any spell level that he can cast (based on his new iron mage level) for his spellbook. At any time, an iron mage can also add spells found in other spellbooks to his own.

Weapon Component: The iron mage carefully refines his martial techniques in tandem with spellcasting, working them into a single cohesive discipline. When wielding a melee weapon with which he is proficient, he gains the benefit of the Eschew Materials feat and can use the weapon in place of any non-costly focus component. Additionally, he can perform somatic components using the weapon as if it were a free hand.

Spell fluency: To more effectively utilize them in combat, an iron mage practices certain spells until casting them is second nature. At 6th level, he chooses one spell he knows. From that point on, he can prepare this spell without referring to a spellbook and does not provoke attacks of opportunity when casting it. When cast, this spell is treated as one level higher for all purposes. Finally, if he prepares it with metamagic other than Heighten Spell, the iron mage subtracts 1 from the final level of the spell slot required to cast the modified spell. (This benefit does not apply to metamagic which doesn't increase the spell's effective level.) He gains this benefit again at 9th, 12th, 15th and 18th levels.

Greater Warding (Su): A 13th level iron mage gains an additional benefit from his warding, as dictated by his school of focus. He may suppress or resume this effect as a free action.

Greater Witching (Su): At 16th level, if an iron mage activates his witching and uses the standard attack action, he performs a greater witching which causes additional effects depending on his school of focus.

Schools
Abjuration
Your specialize in hindering the enemy's offense, both magical and physical.
Witching: Creatures damaged by your attacks suffer a penalty equal to your witching rank to attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, CMB, and the DC of any saving throws caused by their spells or abilities. This penalty lasts for one round. Additionally, your weapons count as all alignments for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack finds itself pacified for one round. When so affected, it treats all other creatures as if they were protected by the sanctuary spell. The Will saving throw DC to overcome this protection is equal to 12 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier.
Warding: You gain a deflection bonus to AC equal to your warding rank.
Greater Warding: You gain spell resistance equal to your iron mage level + 12.
School powers:
- Dampening Field (Su): At 2nd level, as a swift action, you can emanate a 10-foot-radius zone of protective magic that lasts for 1 round. Choose acid, cold, electricity, fire or sonic; all creatures in the area gain resist energy 5 against that energy type. For every 2 additional iron mage levels you gain, the amount resisted increases by 5. Using this ability counts as using 1 round of witching.
- Unfettered (Su): Beginning at 7th level, as a swift action, you can touch a creature to bestow the benefits of the freedom of movement spell for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Greater Dispel Magic (Sp): You can use greater dispel magic as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 16. You can use this ability twice per day at 15th level, and three times per day at 19th level.
- Prismatic Sphere (Sp): You can use prismatic sphere as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 19.

Evocation
Yours is the magic of raw energy and destruction, but also of controlled force.
Witching: Your weapons deal an extra 1d4 force damage per witching rank, and are considered to have the ghost touch enhancement.
Greater Witching: A wave of force follows your weapon, brutally impacting against any creature struck. This attack gains double your normal bonus damage from witching and Arcane Strike and grants you a free bull rush against the target with a circumstance bonus equal to your witching rank. If your bull rush is successful the target flies away from you and falls prone. Unlike a normal bull rush, you cannot follow your target. The target moves the full distance indicated by your bull rush result unless an obstacle prevents it, in which case it falls in the nearest square adjacent to that obstacle, and both your target and the obstacle take 1d6 points of damage.
Warding: A floating disk of force grants you a shield bonus to AC equal to your warding rank. This force shield also blocks all damage from magic missiles.
Greater Warding: Whenever you take damage from a physical attack, the impact triggers a burst of force which streaks back to the attacker, dealing damage equal to your warding rank. Any effect which absorbs or prevents damage from magic missile also affects your greater warding.
School powers:
- Force Bolt (Su): At 2nd level, as a swift action, you can unleash a force bolt that automatically strikes a foe within 120 feet. The force bolt deals damage equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. Any effect which absorbs or prevents damage from magic missile also affects the force bolt. Using this ability counts as using 1 round of witching.
- Spell channeling (Su): Beginning at 7th level, as a move action, you can imbue a weapon you are wielding with any evocation spell you have prepared which does not have a costly material or focus component. The spell is expended as if cast. The next successful attack made with that weapon delivers the spell's effects to the creature struck, allowing no saving throw or spell resistance. Regardless of the spell's normal targets or area of effect, only the creature or object struck is affected. If there is no meaningful way for the spell to affect the target, it is harmlessly discharged. If a successful attack is not made with that weapon within a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level, the imbued spell is lost. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Forceful Hand (Sp): You can use forceful hand as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 16. You can use this ability twice per day at 15th level, and three times per day at 19th level.
- Meteor Swarm (Sp): You can use meteor swarm as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 19.

Necromancy
You weave dire curses to confound your foes, and fortify your own body with negative energy.
Witching: Creatures damaged by your attacks suffer a penalty equal to your witching rank to AC, CMD and saving throws. This penalty takes effect immediately after your current turn ends, and lasts for one round. Additionally, your weapons count as piercing, slashing and bludgeoning for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack suffers a severe curse of unluck for one round. Any time the creature makes an ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or skill check, it must roll twice and take the worse result.
Warding: You gain DR X/—, where X is your warding rank.
Greater Warding: You radiate a frightful aura of necromantic energy. Opponents within 30 feet must succeed on a Will saving throw with DC equal to 12 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier, or become shaken for a number of rounds equal to your warding rank. Creatures whose hit dice total no more than 1/2 your iron mage level are always shaken by your aura, and become frightened on a failed save. A creature which successfully saves against your fear aura automatically succeeds any further saving throws against it for 24 hours.
School powers:
- Stifling Touch (Su): At 2nd level, as a swift action, you can attempt a melee touch attack which causes the target to become fatigued for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. Using this ability counts as using 1 round of witching.
- False Flesh (Su): Beginning at 7th level, as an immediate action, you can gain temporary hit points equal to twice your iron mage level. This ability can be activated in time to absorb the damage from an incoming attack or spell. These temporary hit points vanish at the beginning of your next turn. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Eyebite (Sp): You can use eyebite as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 16. You can use this ability twice per day at 15th level, and three times per day at 19th level.
- Energy Drain (Sp): You can use energy drain as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 19.

Transmutation
Your subtle art manipulates time and matter, providing tactical advantages.
Witching: Creatures damaged by your attacks suffer a penalty to all of its movement speeds equal to 10 feet per witching rank you possess. This penalty lasts for one round, and cannot reduce a creature's movement to less than 5 feet. Additionally, you gain a bonus to attack rolls equal to your witching rank, and your weapons overcome any damage reduction which would be overcome by special materials (such as cold iron, silver or adamantine).
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack becomes slowed for one round (as the slow spell). Your witching effect can reduce this creature's speed to 0.
Warding: You gain an enhancement bonus to natural armor equal to your warding rank.
Greater Warding: Your natural reach increases by 5 feet and you cannot be flanked.
School powers:
- Expedience (Su): At 2nd level, as a swift action, you can increase all of your movement speeds by 5 feet per 2 iron mage levels you possess. This adjustment is treated as an enhancement bonus, and lasts for 1 round. Using this ability counts as using 1 round of witching.
- Distortion (Su): Beginning at 7th level, as a move action, you can change the size of yourself or one creature within 30 feet of you, increasing or decreasing it by one size category. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. An unwilling creature is entitled to a Fortitude saving throw, DC = 12 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier. Except as noted above, this ability is equivalent to enlarge person or reduce person and does not stack with similar effects. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Disintegrate (Sp): You can use disintegrate as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 16. You can use this ability twice per day at 15th level, and three times per day at 19th level.
- Etherealness (Sp): You can use etherealness as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 19.

Rotling
Description: Vaguely humanoid, slimy and dull-black, a rotling is a walking cyst: a single tough membrane of living flesh, stretched tight around a swollen assortment of useless bones and rancid organs. Its forelimbs bear long claws which resemble grimy rib bones, and its otherwise featureless head bears a similar rack of tusks. When alert, it produces a low sound reminiscent of dripping water.
Fey-spawned aberrations, rotlings emerge spontaneously from bloated carcasses to punish the mortal world for irreverence toward death. Scavengers make them rare in wild places, and honoring the dead with even the most rudimentary rites will prevent their formation. Rotlings most frequently arise amid plagues and blight, on fields of battle, or from murder victims hidden in haste. They subsist solely on the decay of their innards, and starve after one month.
A rotling exists only to spread agony. It seeks healthy creatures to attack, then flees without killing, leaving its victims to suffer from festering wounds. It will not initiate aggression toward a severely wounded or diseased creature. Toward a creature on the brink of death and unable to communicate its pain to others, a rotling shows compulsive mercy; it immediately kills that creature, ignoring other concerns. A creature killed by a rotling never spawns another.
Powers and Abilities: The disgusting stench of a rotling causes violent gagging. In addition to carrying infectious gangrene, its attacks leave cursed wounds which will not heal. Its slick flesh is difficult to grab, and it has an unnatural resistance to physical attacks. Though blind, a rotling hears with its entire body and can navigate by echolocation. It has supernatural awareness of nearby creatures and their conditions. A terminally wounded rotling bursts, spraying pustulant filth and shards of bone.

Is creature type a "game statistic" for the purpose of this round? The example is ambivalent, because "dragon" is a type but also the name of the creature.

After this thread and some research, here's my suggestion for revising bows:

Why? I just checked, it's actually been that way since 3.5, so possibly this was just never reviewed?

Even ignoring the simulation disconnect, other than certain classes' proficiency restrictions, that's the only reason to use a shortbow, composite or otherwise!

Curious whether ye Paizoans have an actual reason for this?

This has come up a couple of times, but I can't find any of the relevant threads and I don't remember any official words coming down when I browsed through them. What's more, I just noticed that the common sentiment (including the way my group plays locally) directly contradicts RAW.

According to the PRD, top of the Combat section:

Effects that last a certain number of rounds end just before the same initiative count that they began on.

Several cleric domains have touch effects which grant a benefit for one round. Putting aside attacks of opportunity, is it intended that a cleric is unable to utilize any of these effects himself?

Simply: does Rend gain a damage bonus from Power Attack?

I'm seeking official clarification on this one. The "additional damage" text makes me strongly believe that the answer is no, but others hold the opposite opinion and have reasonable arguments.

Iron Mage

Role: Iron mages are warriors first and foremost, but they use magic to supplement their attacks and bolster defenses. Though individual specialties might vary, any iron mage is a stalwart ally in battle.

Starting Gold: As fighter (5d6x10).
Starting Age: As wizard.

Alignment: Any.
Hit Die / BAB: d10 / Full
Good Saves: Fortitude, Will

Class Skills: Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str)
Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier

Spell progression as Paladin/Ranger.
1st: Arcane initiate, prestidigitation, school focus, witching 1
2nd: School power, warding 1
3rd: Arcane mark, Craft Magic Arms and Armor
4th: Arcane conversion, read magic, weapon component
5th: Warding 2, witching 2
6th: Spell fluency
7th: School power
8th: Warding 3
9th: Spell fluency
10th: Witching 3
11th: School power, warding 4
12th: Spell fluency
13th: Greater warding
14th: Warding 5
15th: Spell fluency, witching 4
16th: Greater witching
17th: Warding 6
18th: Spell fluency
19th: School power
20th: Warding 7, witching 5

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Iron mages are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light and medium armor and shields (except tower shields). An iron mage does not incur the normal arcane spell failure chance from wearing light or medium armor, or from wearing a shield. Like any other arcane spellcaster, an iron mage wearing heavy armor incurs a chance of spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass iron mage still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Arcane Initiate: Though they pursue highly specialized techniques which slow their mastery of spellcasting, iron mages study the same craft as wizards. An iron mage draws his spells from the sorcerer/wizard list and is considered to have full access to that list, granting him the ability to use spell completion and spell trigger items containing sorcerer/wizard spells of any level.

Prestidigitation (Sp): An iron mage with an Intelligence score of at least 10 can use prestidigitation, the neophyte wizard's practice spell, at will. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use this ability in heavy armor.

School Focus: Every iron mage selects a primary school of arcane magic from which he draws the majority of his power. He may choose Abjuration, Evocation, Necromancy or Transmutation, and gains the benefits of the Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus feats when casting iron mage spells from that school. When casting a spell from his school of focus, an iron mage gains a +3 bonus to his caster level (effectively causing his caster level to become equal to his iron mage level for spells of that school). At 2nd, 7th and 11th and 19th levels the iron mage gains additional powers from his school of focus.

Witching (Su): An iron mage gains Arcane Strike as a bonus feat at 1st level. Rather than being based on his caster level, the damage bonus granted by this feat is equal to his witching rank, initially 1 and increasing by 1 every 5 iron mage levels. He does not need to spend a swift action to activate Arcane Strike, instead gaining the benefit on every attack he makes.

An iron mage can imbue his weapons with more powerful magic a certain number of times each day by performing a witching attack. As a free action, he causes his weapons to gain an enhancement for one round. The effect of his witching attack is determined by his school of focus. At 1st level an iron mage can activate witching for a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + his Intelligence modifier. At each level after 1st, he can perform witching attacks for 2 additional rounds. The total number of rounds of witching per day are renewed after resting for 8 hours, although these hours do not need to be consecutive.

Warding (Su): A 2nd level iron mage learns to weave magic into potent defenses. As long as he is conscious, he gains the rank 1 warding benefit from his school of focus. At 5th level and every 3 levels thereafter, his warding improves by one rank.

Arcane Mark (Sp): A 3rd level iron mage with an Intelligence score of at least 10 can use arcane mark at will. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use this ability in heavy armor.

Craft Magic Arms and Armor: Iron mages gain Craft Magic Arms and Armor as a bonus feat at 3rd level, ignoring the normal caster level prerequisite. For the purpose of satisfying prerequisites when crafting enhancement bonuses to armor and weapons, iron mage level can be used in place of caster level.

Arcane conversion (Su): As a free action, an iron mage can sacrifice a memorized spell to perform a witching attack, adding the sacrificed spell's level to his witching rank for one round. Using this ability does not count against the iron mage's normal rounds per day of witching. The sacrificed spell is expended as if it had been cast normally.

Read magic (Sp): At 4th level, an iron mage with an Intelligence score of at least 10 can use read magic at will. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use this ability in heavy armor.

Spells: Beginning at 4th level, an iron mage gains the ability to cast a small number of arcane spells which are drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. An iron mage must choose and prepare his spells in advance.

To learn, prepare or cast a spell, the iron mage must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an iron mage's spell is 10 + the spell level + the iron mage's Intelligence modifier.

Like other spellcasters, an iron mage can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on (see Table: Paladin). In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligence score. When (see Table: Paladin) indicates that the iron mage gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Intelligence score for that spell level.

An iron mage may know any number of spells. He must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour studying his spellbook. While studying, the iron mage decides which spells to prepare.

Through 3rd level, an iron mage has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, his caster level is equal to his iron mage level – 3.

Spellbooks: An iron mage must study his spellbook each day to prepare his spells. He cannot prepare any spell not recorded in his spellbook. A character with levels in both iron mage and wizard can use a single spellbook, and does not need to keep track of which class a recorded spell belongs to.

Upon gaining 4th level the iron mage obtains a spellbook containing one 1st level spell from his focus school, and an additional number of 1st level spells equal to his Intelligence bonus, which can be of any school. At each new iron mage level, he gains one new spell of any spell level that he can cast (based on his new iron mage level) for his spellbook. At any time, an iron mage can also add spells found in other spellbooks to his own.

Weapon Component: The iron mage carefully refines his martial techniques in tandem with spellcasting, working them into a single cohesive discipline. When wielding a melee weapon with which he is proficient, he gains the benefit of the Eschew Materials feat and can use the weapon in place of any non-costly focus component. Additionally, he can perform somatic components using the weapon as if it were a free hand.

Spell fluency: To more effectively utilize them in combat, an iron mage practices certain spells until casting them is second nature. At 6th level, he chooses one spell he knows. From that point on, he can prepare this spell without referring to a spellbook and does not provoke attacks of opportunity when casting it. When cast, this spell is treated as one level higher for all purposes. Finally, if he prepares it with metamagic other than Heighten Spell, the iron mage subtracts 1 from the final level of the spell slot required to cast the modified spell. (This benefit does not apply to metamagic which doesn't increase the spell's effective level.) He gains this benefit again at 9th, 12th, 15th and 18th levels.

Greater Warding (Su): A 13th level iron mage gains an additional benefit from his warding, as dictated by his school of focus.

Greater Witching (Su): At 16th level, if an iron mage activates his witching attack and uses the standard attack action, he performs a greater witching which causes additional effects depending on his school of focus.

Schools
Abjuration
Your specialize in hindering the enemy's offense, both magical and physical.
Witching: For one round, the target a suffers penalty equal to your witching rank to attack rolls, CMB, and the DC of any saving throws generated by its spells or abilities. Additionally, your weapons count as all alignments for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack finds itself pacified for one round. When so affected, it treats all other creatures as if they were protected by the sanctuary spell. The Will saving throw DC to overcome this protection is equal to 12 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier.
Warding: You gain a deflection bonus to AC equal to your warding rank.
Greater Warding: You gain spell resistance equal to your iron mage level + 12.
School powers:
- Dampening Field (Su): At 2nd level, as a swift action, you can emanate a 10-foot-radius zone of protective magic that lasts for 1 round. Choose acid, cold, electricity, fire or sonic; all creatures in the area gain resist energy 5 against that energy type. For every 2 additional iron mage levels you gain, the amount resisted increases by 5. Using this ability counts as using 1 round of witching.
- Unfettered (Su): Beginning at 7th level, as a swift action, you can touch a creature to bestow the benefits of the freedom of movement spell for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Greater Dispel Magic (Sp): You can use greater dispel magic as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 16. This is considered an abjuration spell, meaning you use your full iron mage level as your caster level. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and you suffer a chance of failure if you attempt to use this ability while wearing heavy armor. You can use this ability twice per day at 15th level, and three times per day at 19th level.
- Prismatic Sphere (Sp): You can use prismatic sphere as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 19. This is considered an abjuration spell, meaning you use your full iron mage level as your caster level and it gains a +2 bonus to its save DC from the Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus feats. (The total save DC is therefore 21 + your Intelligence modifier.) Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and you suffer a chance of failure if you attempt to use this ability while wearing heavy armor.

Evocation
Yours is the magic of raw energy and destruction, but also of controlled force.
Witching: Your weapons deal an extra 1d4 force damage per witching rank, and are considered to have the ghost touch enhancement.
Greater Witching: A wave of force follows your weapon, brutally impacting against any creature struck. This attack gains double your normal bonus damage from witching and Arcane Strike, and grants you a free bull rush against the target with a circumstance bonus equal to your witching rank. If your bull rush is successful the target flies away from you and falls prone. Unlike a normal bull rush, you cannot follow your target. The target moves the full distance indicated by your bull rush result unless an obstacle prevents it, in which case it falls in the nearest square adjacent to that obstacle, and both your target and the obstacle take 1d6 points of damage.
Warding: A floating disk of force grants you a shield bonus to AC equal to your warding rank. This force shield also blocks all damage from magic missiles.
Greater Warding: Whenever you take damage from a physical attack, the impact triggers a burst of force which streaks back to the attacker, dealing 1d4 damage per warding rank.
School powers:
- Force Bolt (Su): At 2nd level, as a swift action, you can unleash a force bolt that automatically strikes a foe within 120 feet. The force bolt deals damage equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. Any effect which absorbs or prevents damage from magic missile also affects the force bolt. Using this ability counts as using 1 round of witching.
- Spell channeling (Su): Beginning at 7th level, as a move action, you can imbue a weapon you are wielding with any evocation spell you have prepared which does not have a costly material or focus component. The spell is expended as if cast. The next successful attack made with that weapon delivers the spell's effects to the creature struck, allowing no saving throw or spell resistance. Regardless of the spell's normal targets or area of effect, only the creature or object struck is affected. If there is no meaningful way for the spell to affect the target, it is harmlessly discharged. If a successful attack is not made with that weapon within a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level, the imbued spell is lost. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Forceful Hand (Sp): You can use forceful hand as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 16. This is considered an evocation spell, meaning you use your full iron mage level as your caster level. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and you suffer a chance of failure if you attempt to use this ability while wearing heavy armor. You can use this ability twice per day at 15th level, and three times per day at 19th level.
- Meteor Swarm (Sp): You can use meteor swarm as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 19. This is considered an evocation spell, meaning you use your full iron mage level as your caster level and it gains a +2 bonus to its save DC from the Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus feats. (The total save DC is therefore 21 + your Intelligence modifier.) Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and you suffer a chance of failure if you attempt to use this ability while wearing heavy armor.

Necromancy
You weave dire curses to confound your foes, and fortify your own body with negative energy.
Witching: For one round, the target suffers a penalty equal to your witching rank to AC, CMD and saving throws. Additionally, your weapons count as piercing, slashing and bludgeoning for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack suffers a severe curse of unluck for one round. Any time the creature makes an ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or skill check, it must roll twice and take the worse result.
Warding: You gain DR X/—, where X is your warding rank.
Greater Warding: As a free action, you can radiate an aura of necromantic energy which causes all creatures within 30 feet to become shaken for one round unless they succeed on a Will saving throw with a DC equal to 12 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier. You can exclude a number of creatures equal to your warding rank from this effect, and you are immune to your own fear aura.
School powers:
- Stifling Touch (Su): At 2nd level, as a swift action, you can attempt a melee touch attack which causes the target to become fatigued for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. Using this ability counts as using 1 round of witching.
- False Flesh (Su): Beginning at 7th level, as an immediate action, you can gain temporary hit points equal to twice your iron mage level. This ability can be activated in time to absorb the damage from an incoming attack or spell. These temporary hit points vanish at the beginning of your next turn. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Eyebite (Sp): You can use eyebite as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 16. This is considered a necromancy spell, meaning you use your full iron mage level as your caster level and it gains a +2 bonus to its save DC from the Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus feats. (The total save DC is therefore 18 + your Intelligence modifier.) Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and you suffer a chance of failure if you attempt to use this ability while wearing heavy armor. You can use this ability twice per day at 15th level, and three times per day at 19th level.
- Energy Drain (Sp): You can use energy drain as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 19. This is considered a necromancy spell, meaning you use your full iron mage level as your caster level and it gains a +2 bonus to its save DC from the Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus feats. (The total save DC is therefore 21 + your Intelligence modifier.) Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and you suffer a chance of failure if you attempt to use this ability while wearing heavy armor.

Transmutation
Your subtle art manipulates time and matter, providing tactical advantages.
Witching: For one round, the target suffers a penalty to all of its movement speeds equal to 10 feet per witching rank. This penalty cannot reduce a creature's movement to less than 5 feet. Additionally, you gain a bonus to attack rolls equal to your witching rank, and your weapons overcome any damage reduction which would be overcome by special materials (such as cold iron, silver or adamantine).
Greater Witching: On a successful hit, you cause the target to become slowed for one round (as the slow spell). This effect is applied after the speed reduction from your witching effect, and can reduce a creature's movement speed to 0.
Warding: You gain an enhancement bonus to natural armor equal to your warding rank.
Greater Warding: Your natural reach increases by 5 feet and you cannot be flanked.
School powers:
- Expedience (Su): At 2nd level, as a swift action, you can increase all of your movement speeds by 5 feet per 2 iron mage levels you possess. This adjustment is treated as an enhancement bonus, and lasts for 1 round. Using this ability counts as using 1 round of witching.
- Distortion (Su): Beginning at 7th level, once per day as a move action, you can change the size of yourself or one creature within 30 feet of you, increasing or decreasing it by one size category. This effect last for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. An unwilling creature is entitled to a Fortitude saving throw, DC = 12 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier. Except as noted above, this ability is equivalent to enlarge person or reduce person and does not stack with similar effects. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Disintegrate (Sp): You can use disintegrate as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 16. This is considered a transmutation spell, meaning you use your full iron mage level as your caster level and it gains a +2 bonus to its save DC from the Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus feats. (The total save DC is therefore 18 + your Intelligence modifier.) Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and you suffer a chance of failure if you attempt to use this ability while wearing heavy armor. You can use this ability twice per day at 15th level, and three times per day at 19th level.
- Etherealness (Sp): You can use etherealness as a spell-like ability once per day at 19th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 19. This is considered a transmutation spell, meaning you use your full iron mage level as your caster level. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and you suffer a chance of failure if you attempt to use this ability while wearing heavy armor.

DPR Calculator:
Link.

All-day project, this little bugger was. Hopefully enough people will get enough use out of it to be worth those sixteen hours! :D

With meabolex's help, I think the surface layer of bugs have been quashed. Further bug reports and feature requests may or may not be ignored due to spreadsheet rage, but you might as well mention them anyway. ;)

MAKE A COPY! This sheet is locked. Once you have your own copy, blue fields are for entry and red fields give you results. A few fields have little marks in the corner, those have hover text just in case their purpose isn't 100% clear.

Known limitations because I'm damn tired of staring at formulae:

Iron Mage

Role: Iron mages are warriors first and foremost, but they use magic to supplement their attacks and bolster defenses. Though individual specialties might vary, any iron mage is a stalwart ally in battle.

Starting Gold: As fighter (5d6x10).
Starting Age: As wizard.

Alignment: Any.
Hit Die / BAB: d10 / Full
Good Saves: Fortitude, Will

Class Skills: Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str)
Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier

Spell progression as Paladin/Ranger.
1st: Arcane initiate, prestidigitation, school focus, witching 1
2nd: School power, warding 1
3rd: Craft Magic Arms and Armor
4th: Read magic, weapon component
5th: Warding 2, witching 2
6th: Spell fluency
7th: School power
8th: Warding 3
9th: Spell fluency
10th: Witching 3
11th: School power, warding 4
12th: Spell fluency
13th: Greater warding
14th: Warding 5
15th: Spell fluency, witching 4
16th: Sudden Warding
17th: Warding 6
18th: Spell fluency
19th: Greater witching
20th: Warding 7, witching 5

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Iron mages are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light and medium armor and shields (except tower shields). An iron mage does not incur the normal arcane spell failure chance from wearing light or medium armor, or from wearing a shield. Like any other arcane spellcaster, an iron mage wearing heavy armor incurs a chance of spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass iron mage still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Arcane Initiate: Though they progress slowly and never master high-level spells due to their pursuit of specialized techniques, iron mages study the same craft as wizards. An iron mage draws his spells from the sorcerer/wizard list and is considered to have full access to that list, granting him the ability to use spell completion and spell trigger items containing sorcerer/wizard spells of any level.

Prestidigitation (Sp): An iron mage with an Intelligence score of at least 10 can use prestidigitation, the neophyte wizard's practice spell, at will. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use this ability in heavy armor.

School Focus: Every iron mage selects a primary school of arcane magic from which he draws the majority of his power. He may choose Abjuration, Evocation, Necromancy or Transmutation, and gains the benefits of the Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus feats when casting iron mage spells from that school. When casting a spell from his school of focus, an iron mage gains a +3 bonus to his caster level (effectively causing his caster level to become equal to his iron mage level for spells of that school). At 2nd, 7th and 11th levels the iron mage gains additional powers from his school of focus.

Witching (Su): At 1st level, an iron mage gains Arcane Strike as a bonus feat. The extra damage this feat generates is equal to the iron mage's witching rank, initially 1, instead of being based on his caster level. In addition to its normal effect, the iron mage's Arcane Strike imbues his weapons with an effect determined by his school of focus. For every 5 levels he attains, the iron mage gains another rank of witching.

Warding (Su): A 2nd level iron mage learns to weave magic into potent defenses. As a free action, he can raise a warding of the first rank which lasts for one round, gaining an effect depending on his school of focus. At 5th level, and every 3 levels thereafter, the iron mage's warding improves by one rank, increasing its effects; see the individual school descriptions for details. At 2nd level he can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to 6 + his Intelligence modifier. For each level he gains after 2nd, the iron mage can raise his warding for 2 additional rounds.

Craft Magic Arms and Armor: Iron mages gain Craft Magic Arms and Armor as a bonus feat at 3rd level, ignoring the normal caster level prerequisite. For the purpose of satisfying caster level prerequisites when crafting enhancement bonuses to armor and weapons, you can use your iron mage level in place of your caster level.

Read magic (Sp): At 4th level, an iron mage with an Intelligence score of at least 10 can use read magic at will. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use this ability in heavy armor.

Spells: Beginning at 4th level, an iron mage gains the ability to cast a small number of arcane spells which are drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. An iron mage must choose and prepare his spells in advance.

To learn, prepare or cast a spell, the iron mage must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an iron mage's spell is 10 + the spell level + the iron mage's Intelligence modifier.

Like other spellcasters, an iron mage can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on (see Table: Paladin). In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligence score. When (see Table: Paladin) indicates that the iron mage gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Intelligence score for that spell level.

An iron mage may know any number of spells. He must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour studying his spellbook. While studying, the iron mage decides which spells to prepare.

Through 3rd level, an iron mage has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, his caster level is equal to his iron mage level – 3.

Spellbooks: An iron mage must study his spellbook each day to prepare his spells. He cannot prepare any spell not recorded in his spellbook. A character with levels in both iron mage and wizard can use a single spellbook, and does not need to keep track of which class a recorded spell belongs to.

Upon gaining 4th level the iron mage obtains a spellbook containing one 1st level spell from his focus school, and an additional number of 1st level spells equal to his Intelligence bonus, which can be of any school. At each new iron mage level, he gains one new spell of any spell level that he can cast (based on his new iron mage level) for his spellbook. At any time, an iron mage can also add spells found in other spellbooks to his own.

Weapon Component: The iron mage carefully refines his martial techniques in tandem with spellcasting, working them into a single cohesive discipline. When wielding a melee weapon with which he is proficient, he gains the benefit of the Eschew Materials feat and can use the weapon in place of any non-costly focus component. Additionally, he can perform somatic components using the weapon as if it were a free hand.

Spell fluency: To more effectively utilize them in combat, an iron mage practices certain spells until casting them is second nature. At 6th level, he chooses one spell he knows. From that point on, he can prepare this spell without referring to a spellbook and does not provoke attacks of opportunity when casting it. When cast, this spell is treated as one level higher for all purposes. Finally, if he prepares it with metamagic other than Heighten Spell, the iron mage subtracts 1 from the final level of the spell slot required to cast the modified spell. (This benefit does not apply to metamagic which doesn't increase the spell's effective level.) He gains this benefit again at 9th, 12th, 15th and 18th levels.

Greater Warding (Su): A 13th level iron mage gains an additional benefit from his warding, as dictated by his school of focus.

Sudden Warding (Su): At 16th level the iron mage can activate his warding as an immediate action, fast enough to guard against an incoming attack. This ability can be used even when flat-footed, but not during a surprise round in which the iron mage does not act. Sudden warding lasts only until the beginning of the iron mage's next turn, and counts as using 4 rounds of warding.

Greater Witching (Su): At 19th level the iron mage can perform a greater witching attack as a standard action. He makes a single attack which is imbued with Arcane Strike and his witching effect, plus an additional effect depending on his school of focus.

Schools
Abjuration
Your specialize in hindering the enemy's offense, both magical and physical.
Witching: For one round, the target suffers penalty equal to your witching rank to attack rolls, CMB, and the DC of any saving throws generated by its spells or abilities. Additionally, your weapons overcome any damage reduction based on alignment.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack finds itself pacified for one round. When so affected, it treats all other creatures as if they were protected by the sanctuary spell. The Will saving throw DC to overcome this protection is equal to 12 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier.
Warding: You gain a deflection bonus to AC equal to your warding rank.
Greater Warding: While your warding is active, you gain spell resistance equal to your iron mage level + 12.
School powers:
- Dampening Field (Su): At 2nd level, once per round as a free action, you can create a 10-foot-radius field of protective magic centered on you that lasts for 1 round. Choose acid, cold, electricity, fire or sonic; all creatures in the area gain resist energy 5 against that energy type. For every 4 iron mage levels you possess, the resisted amount increases by 5. Using this ability counts as using 1 round of warding.
- Unfettered (Su): Beginning at 7th level, as a swift action, you can touch a creature to bestow the benefits of the freedom of movement spell for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Greater Dispel Magic (Sp): You can use greater dispel magic as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level and twice per day at 16th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 16. This is considered an abjuration spell, meaning you use your full iron mage level as your caster level. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use this ability in heavy armor.

Evocation
Yours is the magic of raw energy and destruction, but also of controlled force.
Witching: Your weapons deal +1d4 force damage per witching rank, and are considered to have the ghost touch enhancement.
Greater Witching: A wave of force follows your weapon, brutally impacting against any creature struck. This attack doubles your normal witching bonus (including the bonus damage from Arcane Strike), and grants you a free bull rush against the target with a circumstance bonus equal to your witching rank. If your bull rush is successful the subject flies away from you and falls prone. The target moves the full distance indicated by your bull rush result unless an obstacle prevents it, in which case it falls in the nearest square adjacent to that obstacle, and both your target and the obstacle take 1d6 points of damage. Unlike a normal bull rush, you cannot follow your target.
Warding: A floating disk of force grants you a shield bonus to AC equal to 1 + your warding rank. This force shield also blocks all damage from magic missiles.
Greater Warding: Whenever you take damage from a physical attack while your warding is active, the impact triggers a burst of force which streaks back to the attacker, dealing 1d4 damage per warding rank.
School powers:
- Force Missile (Su): At 2nd level, once per round as a free action, you can release a can unleash a force missile that automatically strikes a foe within 120 feet. The force missile deals damage equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. Any effect which absorbs or prevents damage from magic missile also affects the force bolt. Using this ability counts as using 1 round of warding.
- Spell channeling (Su): Beginning at 7th level, as a move action, you can imbue your weapon with any evocation spell you have prepared. The spell is expended as if cast. The next successful attack made with that weapon delivers the spell's effects to the creature struck, allowing no saving throw or spell resistance. Regardless of the spell's normal targets or area of effect, only the creature struck is affected. If a successful attack is not made with that weapon within a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level, the imbued spell is lost. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Forceful Hand (Sp): You can use forceful hand as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level and twice per day at 16th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 16. This is considered an evocation spell, meaning you use your full iron mage level as your caster level. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use this ability in heavy armor.

Necromancy
You weave dire curses to confound your foes, and fortify your own body with negative energy.
Witching: For one round, the target suffers a penalty equal to your witching rank to AC, CMD and saving throws. Additionally, your weapons overcome any damage reduction based on the type of damage dealt.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack suffers a severe curse of unluck for one round. Any time the creature makes an ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or skill check, it must roll twice and take the worse result.
Warding: You gain DR X/—, where X is your warding rank.
Greater Warding: During any round in which your warding is active, you can choose to radiate an aura of necromantic energy as a free action which causes all creatures within 30 feet to become shaken for one round unless they succeed on a Will saving throw with a DC equal to 12 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier. You can exclude a number of creatures equal to your warding rank from this effect, and you are immune to your own fear aura.
School powers:
- Stifling Touch (Su): At 2nd level, once per round as a free action, you can make a melee touch attack that causes a living creature to become fatigued for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. Using this ability counts as using 1 round of warding.
- False Flesh (Su): Beginning at 7th level, as an immediate action, you can gain temporary hit points equal to twice your iron mage level. This ability can be activated in time to absorb the damage from an incoming attack or spell. These temporary hit points vanish at the beginning of your next turn. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Eyebite (Sp): You can use eyebite as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level and twice per day at 16th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 16. You can activate Arcane Strike in the same round as you spend a swift action to target a foe with eyebite. This is considered a necromancy spell, meaning you use your full iron mage level as your caster level, and it gains a +2 bonus to its save DC from the Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus feats. (The total save DC is therefore 18 + your Intelligence modifier.) Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use this ability in heavy armor.

Transmutation
Your subtle art manipulates time and matter, providing tactical advantages.
Witching: All of the target's movement speeds are reduced by 5 feet + 5 feet per witching rank, to a minimum of 5 feet, for one round. Additionally, you gain a bonus to attack rolls equal to your witching rank, and your weapons overcome any damage reduction based on special materials.
Greater Witching: Your weapon momentarily passes through parallel planes as you attack, bypassing physical defenses. You ignore any armor, natural armor or shield bonuses to your target's AC, unless those bonuses arise from force effects. Critical hits threatened by this attack are automatically confirmed. On a successful hit, you cause the target to become slowed for one round (as the slow spell). This effect is applied after the speed reduction from your witching effect, and can reduce a creature's movement speed to 0.
Warding: You gain an enhancement bonus to natural armor equal to your warding rank.
Greater Warding: Your natural reach increases by 5 feet and you cannot be flanked.
School powers:
- Expedience (Su): At 2nd level, once per round as a free action, you can increase all of your base movement speeds by 5 feet per 2 iron mage levels you possess. This adjustment is treated as an enhancement bonus, and lasts for 1 round. Using this ability counts as using 1 round of warding.
- Distortion (Su): Beginning at 7th level, once per day as a move action, you can change the size of yourself or one creature within 30 feet of you, increasing or decreasing it by one size category. This effect last for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. An unwilling creature is entitled to a Fortitude saving throw, DC = 12 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier. Except as noted above, this ability is equivalent to enlarge person or reduce person and does not stack with similar effects. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Mage's Lucubration (Sp): You can use mage's lucubration as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level and twice per day at 16th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 16. This is considered a transmutation spell, meaning you use your full iron mage level as your caster level. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use this ability in heavy armor.

"An extract, once created, remains potent for 1 day before becoming inert, so an alchemist must re-prepare his extracts every day."

...and...

"If a spell normally has a costly material component, that component is consumed during the creation of that particular extract."

Don't make that stoneskin infusion until you're damn well ready to use it! Is this intentional? I can see how it might be; but if that's not a deliberate design decision, perhaps they should be allowed to keep a prepared infusion for more than a day, as a spellcaster can do with uncast spells.

Seven Thousand Blossoms
Aura faint transmutation CL 3rd
Slot —; Price 300 gp; Weight —
Description
This small silken pouch contains fresh, bright flower petals. If a handful are thrown or scattered, the pouch unravels as countless petals swarm forth. The seven thousand blossoms coalesce into a path 5 feet wide and 60 feet long, which can traverse empty space but is cut short by any barrier. If thrown at an angle, the path travels 40 feet horizontally and 40 feet vertically. If thrown up or down, a tight spiral ascends or descends 30 feet. Though the petals seem suspended by a gentle breeze and are too sparse to provide cover or concealment, they act as a firm and stable surface for creatures and attended objects. Those who walk the seven thousand blossoms are protected from any effects generated by terrain below. The path lasts for one minute, after which the petals lose their magic and disperse. Strong winds disperse the petals in half the time. One round of exposure to severe wind counts as five rounds of the blossoms' duration, and more powerful winds disperse them immediately.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, air walk; Cost 150 gp

Before I put anything in here, let me ask if it's OK. I think this could be worth something, but I don't want to gum up the works.

This thread is intended for posting ideas you thought of, actually developed to some extent, and in the end didn't use, along with an explanation of why you rejected your own concept. If you haven't already submitted something else, be absolutely 100% sure that you're not going to come back around to use the idea or anything like it!

I can see reasons the Paizo folks might not want this kind of discussion while submissions are open; so nobody actually post here until someone official gives the nod, please. :)

Iron Mage

Role: Iron mages are warriors first and foremost, but they use magic to supplement their attacks and bolster defenses. Though individual specialties might vary, any iron mage is a stalwart ally in battle.

Starting Gold: As fighter (5d6x10).
Starting Age: As wizard.

Alignment: Any.
Hit Die / BAB: d10 / Full
Good Saves: Fortitude, Will

Class Skills: Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str)
Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier

Spell progression as Paladin/Ranger.
1st: Arcane initiate, prestidigitation, school focus, witching 1
2nd: Warding 1
3rd: School power
4th: Read magic, weapon component
5th: Warding 2, witching 2
6th: Spell fluency
7th: School power
8th: Warding 3
9th: Spell fluency
10th: Witching 3
11th: School power, warding 4
12th: Spell fluency
13th: Greater warding
14th: Warding 5
15th: Spell fluency, witching 4
16th:
17th: Warding 6
18th: Spell fluency
19th: Greater witching
20th: High arcana, warding 7, witching 5

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Iron mages are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light and medium armor and shields (except tower shields). An iron mage does not incur the normal arcane spell failure chance from wearing light or medium armor, or from wearing a shield. Like any other arcane spellcaster, an iron mage wearing heavy armor incurs a chance of spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass iron mage still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Arcane Initiate: Though they progress slowly and never master high-level spells due to their pursuit of specialized techniques, iron mages study the same craft as wizards. An iron mage draws his spells from the sorcerer/wizard list and is considered to have full access to that list, granting him the ability to use spell completion and spell trigger items containing sorcerer/wizard spells of any level.

Prestidigitation (Sp): An iron mage with an Intelligence score of at least 10 can use prestidigitation, the neophyte wizard's practice spell, at will. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use this ability in heavy armor.

School Focus: Every iron mage selects a primary school of arcane magic from which he draws the majority of his power. He may choose Abjuration, Evocation, Necromancy or Transmutation, and gains the benefits of the Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus feats when casting iron mage spells from that school. When casting a spell from his school of focus, an iron mage gains a +3 bonus to his caster level (effectively causing his caster level to become equal to his iron mage level for spells of that school). At 3rd, 7th and 11th levels the iron mage gains additional powers from his school of focus.

Witching (Su): At 1st level, an iron mage gains Arcane Strike as a bonus feat. The extra damage this feat generates is equal to the iron mage's witching rank, initially 1, instead of being based on his caster level. In addition to its normal effect, the iron mage's Arcane Strike imbues his weapon with an effect determined by his school of focus. For every 5 levels he attains, the iron mage gains another rank of witching.

Warding (Su): A 2nd level iron mage learns to weave magic into potent defenses. As a free action, he can raise a warding of the first rank which lasts for one round, gaining an effect depending on his school of focus. At 5th level, and every 3 levels thereafter, the iron mage's warding improves by one rank, increasing its effects; see the individual school descriptions for details. At 2nd level he can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to 6 + his Intelligence modifier. For each level he gains after 2nd, the iron mage can raise his warding for 2 additional rounds.

Read magic (Sp): At 4th level, an iron mage with an Intelligence score of at least 10 can use read magic at will. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use this ability in heavy armor.

Spells: Beginning at 4th level, an iron mage gains the ability to cast a small number of arcane spells which are drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. An iron mage must choose and prepare his spells in advance.

To learn, prepare or cast a spell, the iron mage must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an iron mage's spell is 10 + the spell level + the iron mage's Intelligence modifier.

Like other spellcasters, an iron mage can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on (see Table: Paladin). In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligence score. When (see Table: Paladin) indicates that the iron mage gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Intelligence score for that spell level.

An iron mage may know any number of spells. He must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour studying his spellbook. While studying, the iron mage decides which spells to prepare.

Through 3rd level, an iron mage has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, his caster level is equal to his iron mage level – 3.

Spellbooks: An iron mage must study his spellbook each day to prepare his spells. He cannot prepare any spell not recorded in his spellbook. A character with levels in both iron mage and wizard can use a single spellbook, and does not need to keep track of which class a recorded spell belongs to.

Upon gaining 4th level the iron mage obtains a spellbook containing one 1st level spell from his focus school, and an additional number of 1st level spells equal to his Intelligence bonus, which can be of any school. At each new iron mage level, he gains one new spell of any spell level that he can cast (based on his new iron mage level) for his spellbook. At any time, an iron mage can also add spells found in other spellbooks to his own.

Weapon Component: The iron mage carefully refines his martial techniques in tandem with spellcasting, working them into a single cohesive discipline. When wielding a melee weapon with which he is proficient, he gains the benefit of the Eschew Materials feat and can use the weapon in place of any non-costly focus component. Additionally, he can perform somatic components using the weapon as if it were a free hand.

Spell fluency: To more effectively utilize them in combat, an iron mage practices certain spells until casting them is second nature. At 6th level, he chooses one spell he knows. From that point on, he can prepare this spell without referring to a spellbook and does not provoke attacks of opportunity when casting it. When cast, this spell is treated as one level higher for all purposes. Finally, if he prepares it with metamagic other than Heighten Spell, the iron mage subtracts 1 from the final level of the spell slot required to cast the modified spell. (This benefit does not apply to metamagic which doesn't increase the spell's effective level.) He gains this benefit again at 9th, 12th, 15th and 18th levels.

Greater Warding (Su): A 13th level iron mage gains an additional benefit from his warding, as dictated by his school of focus.

Greater Witching (Su): At 19th level, the iron mage can perform a greater witching attack as a standard action. He makes a single attack which is imbued with Arcane Strike and his witching effect, plus an additional effect depending on his school of focus.

High arcana: At 20th level the iron mage's warding and witching become innate. His warding no longer has limited rounds of usage and is always active, except when suppressed by anti-magic. He gains the benefit of Arcane Strike, including his witching effect, on every weapon attack without needing to spend a swift action to activate it.

Schools
Abjuration
Your specialize in hindering the enemy's offense, both magical and physical.
Witching: For one round, the target suffers a -1 per rank penalty to attack rolls, to CMB, and to the DC of any saving throws generated by its spells or abilities. Additionally, your weapon overcomes any damage reduction based on alignment.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack finds itself pacified for one round. When so affected, it treats all other creatures as if they were protected by the sanctuary spell. The Will saving throw DC to overcome this protection is equal to 12 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier.
Warding: You gain a +1 per rank deflection bonus to AC.
Greater Warding: While your warding is active, you gain spell resistance equal to your iron mage level + 12.
School powers:
- Dampening Field (Su): At 3rd level, as a standard action, you can create a 10-foot-radius field of protective magic centered on you that lasts for five rounds. Choose acid, cold, electricity, fire or sonic; all creatures in the area gain resist energy 5 against that energy type. For every 4 iron mage levels you possess, the resisted amount increases by 5. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
- Unfettered (Su): Beginning at 7th level, as a swift action, you can touch a creature to bestow the benefits of the freedom of movement spell for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Greater Dispel Magic (Sp): You can use greater dispel magic as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, and twice per day at 18th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 16. This is considered an abjuration spell, meaning you use your full iron mage level as your caster level. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use this ability in heavy armor.

Evocation
Yours is the magic of raw energy and destruction, but also of controlled force.
Witching: You deal +1d4 force damage per rank. Additionally, your weapon is considered to have the ghost touch enhancement.
Greater Witching: A wave of force follows your weapon, brutally impacting against any creature struck. This attack doubles your normal witching bonus (including the bonus damage from Arcane Strike), and grants you a free bull rush against the target with a circumstance bonus equal to your witching rank. If your bull rush is successful the subject flies away from you and falls prone. The target moves the full distance indicated by your bull rush result unless an obstacle prevents it, in which case it falls in the nearest square adjacent to that obstacle, and both your target and the obstacle take 1d6 points of damage. Unlike a normal bull rush, you cannot follow your target.
Warding: A floating disk of force grants you a shield bonus to AC equal to 1 + 1 per rank. This force shield also blocks all damage from magic missiles.
Greater Warding: Whenever you take damage from a physical attack while your warding is active, the impact triggers a burst of force which streaks back to the attacker, dealing 1d4 damage per warding rank.
School powers:
- Force Missile (Su): At 3rd level, as a standard action, you can release a force missile that automatically strikes a foe, as magic missile. The force missile deals 1d4 damage + 1 for every 2 iron mage levels you possess. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
- Spell channeling (Su): Beginning at 7th level, as a move action, you can imbue your weapon with any evocation spell you have prepared. The spell is expended as if cast. The next successful attack made with that weapon delivers the spell's effects to the creature struck, allowing no saving throw or spell resistance. Regardless of the spell's normal targets or area of effect, only the creature struck is affected. If a successful attack is not made with that weapon within a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level, the imbued spell is lost. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Forceful Hand (Sp): You can use forceful hand as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, and twice per day at 18th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 16. This is considered an evocation spell, meaning you use your full iron mage level as your caster level. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use this ability in heavy armor.

Necromancy
You weave dire curses to confound your foes, and fortify your own body with negative energy.
Witching: The target suffers a -1 per rank penalty to AC, CMD and saving throws for 1 round. Additionally, your weapon overcomes any damage reduction based on the type of damage dealt.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack suffers a severe curse of unluck for one round. Any time the creature makes an ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or skill check, it must roll twice and take the worse result.
Warding: You gain DR 1/- per rank.
Greater Warding: During any round in which your warding is active, you can choose to radiate an aura of necromantic energy as a free action which causes all creatures within 30 feet to become shaken for one round unless they succeed on a Will saving throw with a DC equal to 12 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier. You can exclude a number of creatures equal to your warding rank from this effect, and you are immune to your own fear aura.
School powers:
- Grave Touch (Su): At 3rd level, you can make a melee touch attack as a standard action that causes a living creature to become shaken for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. If you touch a shaken creature with this ability, it becomes frightened for 1 round if it has fewer Hit Dice than your iron mage level. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
- False Flesh (Su): Beginning at 7th level, as an immediate action, you can gain temporary hit points equal to twice your iron mage level. This ability can be activated in time to absorb the damage from an incoming attack or spell. These temporary hit points vanish at the beginning of your next turn. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Eyebite (Sp): You can use eyebite as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, and twice per day at 18th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 16. You can activate Arcane Strike in the same round as you spend a swift action to target a foe with eyebite. This is considered a necromancy spell, meaning you use your full iron mage level as your caster level, and it gains a +2 bonus to its save DC from the Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus feats. (The total save DC is therefore 18 + your Intelligence modifier.) Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use this ability in heavy armor.

Transmutation
Your subtle art manipulates time and matter, providing tactical advantages.
Witching: All of the target's movement speeds are reduced by 5 feet + 5 feet per rank, to a minimum of 5 feet, for one round. Additionally, your weapon overcomes any damage reduction based on special materials.
Greater Witching: Your weapon momentarily passes through parallel planes as you attack, bypassing physical defenses. You ignore any armor, natural armor or shield bonuses to your target's AC, unless those bonuses arise from force effects. Critical hits threatened by this attack are automatically confirmed. On a successful hit, you cause the target to become slowed for one round (as the slow spell). This effect is applied after the speed reduction from your witching effect, and can reduce a creature's movement speed to 0.
Warding: You gain an enhancement bonus to natural armor equal to 1 + 1 per rank.
Greater Warding: Your natural reach increases by 5 feet and you cannot be flanked.
School powers:
- Expedience (Su): At 3rd level, as a free action, you can increase all of your base movement speeds by 5 feet per 2 iron mage levels you possess. This adjustment is treated as an enhancement bonus, and lasts for 1 round. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
- Distortion (Su): Beginning at 7th level, once per day as a move action, you can change the size of yourself or one creature within 30 feet of you for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. You may increase or decrease the target's size by up to two categories. An unwilling creature is entitled to a Fortitude saving throw, DC = 12 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier. If you choose to enlarge the target and insufficient room is available for the desired growth, the creature attains the maximum possible size and may make a Strength check (using its increased Strength) to burst any enclosures in the process. If it fails, it is constrained without harm by the materials enclosing it. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Mage's Lucubration (Sp): You can use mage's lucubration as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, and twice per day at 18th level, so long as you have an Intelligence score of at least 16. This is considered a transmutation spell, meaning you use your full iron mage level as your caster level. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use this ability in heavy armor.

The requirements for using a scroll do not include having a caster level.

However, if your caster level is not equal to or greater than that of the scroll, you must make a caster level check.

Is a caster level of "none" equivalent to 0, or does the lack of a caster level preclude making the check at all?

Iron Mage

Role: Iron mages are warriors first and foremost, but they use magic to supplement their attacks and bolster defenses. Though individual specialties might vary, any iron mage is a stalwart ally in battle.

Starting Gold: As fighter (5d6x10).
Starting Age: As wizard.

Alignment: Any.
Hit Die / BAB: d10 / Full
Good Saves: Fortitude, Will

Class Skills: Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str)
Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier

Spell progression as Paladin/Ranger.
1st: Arcane Strike, prestidigitation, school focus, witching 1
2nd: Warding 1
3rd: School power
4th: Read magic
5th: Warding 2, witching 2
6th: Low arcana 1
7th: School power
8th: Warding 3
9th: Low arcana 3
10th: Witching 3
11th: School power, warding 4
12th: Low arcana 3
13th: Greater warding
14th: Warding 5
15th: low arcana 4, witching 4
16th:
17th: Warding 6
18th:
19th: Greater witching
20th: High arcana, warding 7, witching 5

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Iron mages are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light and medium armor and shields (except tower shields). An iron mage does not incur the normal arcane spell failure chance from wearing light or medium armor, or from wearing a shield. Like any other arcane spellcaster, an iron mage wearing heavy armor incurs a chance of spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass iron mage still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Arcane Strike: At 1st level, an iron mage gains Arcane Strike as a bonus feat. He can use this feat despite not yet having a caster level. Extra damage gained from the Arcane Strike feat is equal to the iron mage's witching rank (see below) instead of being based on his caster level.

Prestidigitation (Sp): An iron mage can use prestidigitation as a spell-like ability at will. There is no caster level associated with this ability. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use this ability in heavy armor.

School Focus: Every iron mage selects a primary school of arcane magic from which he draws the majority of his power. He may choose Abjuration, Evocation, Necromancy or Transmutation, and gains the benefits of the Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus feats when casting iron mage spells from that school. When casting a spell from his school of focus, an iron mage gains a +3 bonus to his caster level (effectively causing his caster level to become equal to his iron mage level for spells of that school). At 3rd, 7th and 11th levels the iron mage gains additional powers from his school of focus.

Witching (Su): The iron mage imbues his attacks with arcane might. Whenever he activates Arcane Strike, his weapon delivers an additional effect depending on his school of focus. At 1st level he can imbue his weapon with witching of the first rank; for every 5 levels he attains, the iron mage gains another rank of witching, increasing its effects as specified in the school description.

Warding (Su): A 2nd level iron mage learns to weave magic into potent defenses. As a free action, he can raise a warding of the first rank which lasts for one round, gaining an effect depending on his school of focus. At 5th level, and every 3 levels thereafter, the iron mage's warding improves by one rank, increasing its effects; see the individual school descriptions for details. At 2nd level he can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to 6 + his Intelligence modifier. For each level he gains after 2nd, the iron mage can raise his warding for 2 additional rounds.

Read magic (Sp): At 4th level an iron mage can use read magic at will as a spell-like ability. His caster level for this ability is equal to his iron mage level - 3. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use this ability in heavy armor.

Spells: Beginning at 4th level, an iron mage gains the ability to cast a small number of arcane spells which are drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. An iron mage must choose and prepare his spells in advance.

To learn, prepare or cast a spell, the iron mage must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an iron mage's spell is 10 + the spell level + the iron mage's Intelligence modifier.

Like other spellcasters, an iron mage can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on (see Table: Paladin). In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligence score. When (see Table: Paladin) indicates that the iron mage gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Intelligence score for that spell level.

An iron mage may know any number of spells. He must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour studying his spellbook. While studying, the iron mage decides which spells to prepare.

Through 3rd level, an iron mage has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, his caster level is equal to his iron mage level – 3.

Spellbooks: An iron mage must study his spellbook each day to prepare his spells. He cannot prepare any spell not recorded in his spellbook. A character with levels in both iron mage and wizard can use a single spellbook, and does not need to keep track of which class a recorded spell belongs to.

Upon gaining 4th level the iron mage obtains a spellbook containing one 1st level spell from his focus school, and an additional number of 1st level spells equal to his Intelligence bonus, which can be of any school. At each new iron mage level, he gains one new spell of any spell level that he can cast (based on his new iron mage level) for his spellbook. At any time, an iron mage can also add spells found in other spellbooks to his own.

Low Arcana: Upon reaching 6th level, the iron mage pursues techniques to more effectively utilize his spells in combat. He can follow one of two methods: spell fluency or weapon component. Once the method is chosen, it cannot be changed. The benefits of low arcana apply only when casting iron mage spells, even if the iron mage can cast the same spells from other classes.

An iron mage who pursues spell fluency practices certain spells until casting them is second nature. He chooses one known 1st-level spell. From that point on, he can prepare this spell without referring to a spellbook and does not provoke attacks of opportunity when casting it. When cast, this spell is treated as one level higher for all purposes. Finally, if he prepares it with metamagic other than Heighten Spell, the iron mage ignores one spell level of increase. He gains this benefit again at 9th level with a 2nd level or lower spell, at 12th level with a spell of 3rd level or less, and at 15th level with any spell of up to 4th level.

If he chooses the weapon component method, the iron mage carefully refines his martial techniques in tandem with spellcasting, working them into a single cohesive discipline. When wielding a melee weapon with which he is proficient, he gains the benefit of the Eschew Materials feat and can use the weapon in place of any non-costly focus component. Additionally, he can perform somatic components using the weapon as if it were a free hand. Finally, when wielding such a weapon he gains a +1 competence bonus to all caster level checks. This bonus increases to +2 at 9th level, +3 at 12th level, and +4 at 15th level.

Greater Warding (Su): A 13th level iron mage gains an additional benefit from his warding, as dictated by his school of focus.

Greater Witching (Su): At 19th level, the iron mage can perform a greater witching attack as a standard action. He makes a single attack which is imbued with Arcane Strike and his witching effect, plus an additional effect depending on his school of focus.

High arcana: At 20th level the iron mage's warding and witching become innate. His warding no longer has limited rounds of usage and is always active, except when suppressed by anti-magic. He gains the benefit of Arcane Strike, including his witching effect, on every weapon attack without needing to spend a swift action to activate it.

Schools
Abjuration
Your specialize in hindering the enemy's offense, both magical and physical.
Witching: For one round, the target suffers a -1 (per rank) penalty to attack rolls, to CMB, and to the DC of any saving throws generated by its spells or abilities. Additionally, your weapon overcomes any damage reduction based on alignment.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack finds itself pacified for one round. When so affected, it treats all other creatures as if they were protected by the sanctuary spell. The Will saving throw DC to overcome this protection is equal to 12 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier.
Warding: You gain a +1 (per rank) deflection bonus to AC.
Greater Warding: While your warding is active, you gain spell resistance equal to your iron mage level + 12.
School powers:
- Dampening Field (Su): At 3rd level, as a standard action, you can create a 10-foot-radius field of protective magic centered on you that lasts for five rounds. Choose acid, cold, electricity, fire or sonic; all creatures in the area gain resist energy 5 against that energy type. For every 4 iron mage levels you possess, the resisted amount increases by 5. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
- Unfettered (Su): Beginning at 7th level, as a swift action, you can touch a creature to bestow the benefits of the freedom of movement spell for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Greater Dispel Magic (Sp): You can use greater dispel magic as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, and twice per day at 18th level. This is considered an abjuration spell, meaning you use your full iron mage level as your caster level. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use this ability in heavy armor.

Evocation
Yours is the magic of raw energy and destruction, but also of controlled force.
Witching: You deal +1d4 force damage per rank. Additionally, your weapon is considered to have the ghost touch enhancement.
Greater Witching: A wave of force follows your weapon, brutally impacting against any creature struck. This attack doubles your normal witching bonus (including the bonus damage from Arcane Strike), and grants you a free bull rush against the target with a circumstance bonus equal to your witching rank. If your bull rush is successful the subject flies away from you and falls prone. The target moves the full distance indicated by your bull rush result unless an obstacle prevents it, in which case it falls in the nearest square adjacent to that obstacle, and both your target and the obstacle take 1d6 points of damage. Unlike a normal bull rush, you cannot follow your target.
Warding: A floating disk of force grants you a shield bonus to AC with a base value of 2, +1 per rank. This force shield also blocks all damage from magic missiles.
Greater Warding: Whenever you take damage from a physical attack while your warding is active, the impact triggers a burst of force which streaks back to the attacker, dealing 1d4 damage per warding rank.
School powers:
- Force Missile (Su): At 3rd level, as a standard action, you can release a force missile that automatically strikes a foe, as magic missile. The force missile deals 1d4 damage + 1 for every 2 iron mage levels you possess. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
- Spell channeling (Su): Beginning at 7th level, as a move action, you can imbue your weapon with any evocation spell you have prepared. The spell is expended as if cast. The next successful attack made with that weapon delivers the spell's effects to the creature struck, allowing no saving throw or spell resistance. Regardless of the spell's normal targets or area of effect, only the creature struck is affected. If a successful attack is not made with that weapon within a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level, the imbued spell is lost. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Forceful Hand (Sp): You can use forceful hand as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, and twice per day at 18th level. This is considered an evocation spell, meaning you use your full iron mage level as your caster level. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use this ability in heavy armor.

Necromancy
You weave dire curses to confound your foes, and fortify your own body with negative energy.
Witching: The target suffers a -1 (per rank) penalty to AC, CMD and saving throws for 1 round. Additionally, your weapon overcomes any damage reduction based on the type of damage dealt.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack suffers a severe curse of unluck for one round. Whenever the subject makes a d20 roll or rolls to overcome a miss chance, it must roll twice and take the worse result.
Warding: You gain DR 1/- (per rank).
Greater Warding: During any round in which your warding is active, you can choose to radiate an aura of necromantic energy as a free action which causes all creatures within 30 feet to become shaken for one round unless they succeed on a Will saving throw with a DC equal to 12 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier. You can exclude a number of creatures equal to your warding rank from this effect, and you are immune to your own fear aura.
School powers:
- Grave Touch (Su): At 3rd level, you can make a melee touch attack as a standard action that causes a living creature to become shaken for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. If you touch a shaken creature with this ability, it becomes frightened for 1 round if it has fewer Hit Dice than your iron mage level. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
- False Flesh (Su): Beginning at 7th level, as an immediate action, you can gain temporary hit points equal to your iron mage level. These hit points vanish after a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Eyebite (Sp): You can use eyebite as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, and twice per day at 18th level. You can activate Arcane Strike in the same round as you spend a swift action to target a foe with eyebite. This is considered a necromancy spell, meaning you use your full iron mage level as your caster level, and it gains a +2 bonus to its save DC from the Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus feats. (The total save DC is therefore 18 + your Intelligence modifier.) Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use this ability in heavy armor.

Transmutation
Your subtle art manipulates time and matter, providing tactical advantages.
Witching: All of the target's movement speeds are reduced by 5 feet (per rank) for one round, to a minimum of 0. Additionally, your weapon overcomes any damage reduction based on special materials.
Greater Witching: Your weapon momentarily passes through parallel planes as you attack, bypassing physical defenses. You ignore any armor, natural armor or shield bonuses to your target's AC, unless those bonuses arise from force effects. Critical hits threatened by this attack are automatically confirmed. On a successful hit, you cause the target to become slowed for one round (as the slow spell).
Warding: You gain a +1 (per rank) enhancement bonus to natural armor.
Greater Warding: Your natural reach increases by 5 feet and you cannot be flanked.
School powers:
- Expedience (Su): At 3rd level, as a free action, you can increase all of your base movement speeds by 5 feet per 2 iron mage levels you possess. This adjustment is treated as an enhancement bonus, and lasts for 1 round. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
- Distortion (Su): Beginning at 7th level, once per day as a move action, you can change the size of yourself or one creature within 30 feet of you for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. You may increase or decrease the target's size by up to two categories. An unwilling creature is entitled to a Fortitude saving throw, DC = 12 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier. If you choose to enlarge the target and insufficient room is available for the desired growth, the creature attains the maximum possible size and may make a Strength check (using its increased Strength) to burst any enclosures in the process. If it fails, it is constrained without harm by the materials enclosing it. You can use this ability once per day for every 4 iron mage levels you possess.
- Mage's Lucubration (Sp): You can use mage's lucubration as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, and twice per day at 18th level. This is considered a transmutation spell, meaning you use your full iron mage level as your caster level. Unlike most spell-like abilities, the spell's normal components are required, and the iron mage suffers a chance of failure if he attempts to use this ability in heavy armor.

Iron Mage

Role: Iron mages are warriors first and foremost, but they use magic to supplement their attacks and bolster defenses. Though individual specialties might vary, any iron mage is a stalwart ally in battle.

Starting Gold: As fighter.
Starting Age: As wizard.

Alignment: Any.
Hit Die / BAB: d10 / Full
Good Saves: Fortitude, Will

Class Skills: Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str)
Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier

Spell progression as Paladin/Ranger.
1st: Arcane Strike, school focus, warding 1
2nd: Witching 1
3rd: School power
4th: Read magic, warding 2
5th: Low arcana 1
6th: Witching 2
7th: School power
8th: Warding 3
9th: Low arcana 2
10th: Witching 3
11th: School power
12th: Warding 4
13th: Low arcana 3
14th: Witching 4
15th: School power
16th: Warding 5
17th: Low arcana 4
18th: Witching 5
19th: Greater Witching
20th: High arcana, warding 6

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Iron mages are proficient all simple and martial weapons and with light and medium armor and shields (except tower shields). An iron mage does not incur the normal arcane spell failure chance from wearing light or medium armor, or from wearing a shield. Like any other arcane spellcaster, an iron mage wearing heavy armor incurs a chance of spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass iron mage still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Arcane Strike: At 1st level, an iron mage gains Arcane Strike as a bonus feat. He can use this feat despite not yet having a caster level.

School Focus: Every iron mage selects a primary school of arcane magic from which he draws the majority of his power. He may choose Abjuration, Evocation, Necromancy or Transmutation, and gains the benefits of the Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus feats when casting iron mage spells from that school. At 3rd, 7th, 11th, 15th and 19th levels an iron mage gains additional powers from his school of focus. When casting a spell from his school of focus, an iron mage gains a +3 bonus to his caster level (effectively causing his caster level to become equal to his iron mage level).

Warding (Su): An iron mage weaves magic into potent defenses. Once per day as a free action, he can activate a warding of the first rank which lasts for a number of minutes equal to his level, gaining an effect depending on his school focus. At 4th level, and every 4 levels thereafter, the iron mage's warding improves by one rank, improving its effects; see the individual school descriptions for details. Additionally, with each new rank this ability can be used one additional time per day.

Witching (Su): At 2nd level, the iron mage learns to imbue his attacks with greater arcane might. Whenever he activates Arcane Strike, his weapon delivers an additional effect depending on his school of focus. At 6th level and every 4 levels thereafter, the iron mage gains another rank of witching, increasing its effects as specified in the school description. Additionally, extra damage gained from the Arcane Strike feat is equal to the iron mage's witching rank rather than being based on his caster level.

Read magic (Sp): Beginning at 4th level, an iron mage can use read magic at will as a spell-like ability. His caster level for this ability is equal to his iron mage level - 3.

Spells: Beginning at 4th level, an iron mage gains the ability to cast a small number of arcane spells which are drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. An iron mage must choose and prepare his spells in advance.

To learn, prepare or cast a spell, the iron mage must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an iron mage's spell is 10 + the spell level + the iron mage's Intelligence modifier.

Like other spellcasters, an iron mage can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on (see Table: Paladin). In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligence score. When (see Table: Paladin) indicates that the iron mage gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Intelligence score for that spell level.

An iron mage may know any number of spells. He must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour studying his spellbook. While studying, the iron mage decides which spells to prepare.

Through 3rd level, an iron mage has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, his caster level is equal to his iron mage level – 3.

Spellbooks: An iron mage must study his spellbook each day to prepare his spells. He cannot prepare any spell not recorded in his spellbook. A character with levels in both iron mage and wizard can use a single spellbook, and does not need to keep track of which class a recorded spell belongs to.

Upon gaining 4th level, the iron mage gains a spellbook containing one 1st level spell of his focus school, and an additional number of 1st level spells equal to his Intelligence bonus, which can be of any school. At each new iron mage level, he gains one new spell of any spell level that he can cast (based on his new iron mage level) for his spellbook. At any time, an iron mage can also add spells found in other spellbooks to his own.

Low Arcana: Upon reaching 5th level, the iron mage pursues techniques to more effectively utilize his spells in combat. He can follow one of two methods: spell fluency or weapon component. Once the method is chosen, it cannot be changed. The benefits of low arcana apply only when casting iron mage spells, even if the iron mage can cast the same spells with slots from other classes.

An iron mage who pursues spell fluency practices certain spells until casting them is second nature. He chooses one known 1st-level spell. From that point on, he can prepare this spell without referring to a spellbook and does not provoke attacks of opportunity when casting it. When cast, this spell it is treated as one level higher for all purposes. Finally, if he prepares it with metamagic other than Heighten Spell, the iron mage ignores one spell level of increase. He gains this benefit again at 9th level with a 2nd level or lower spell, at 13th level with a spell of 3rd level or less, and at 17th level with any spell of up to 4th level.

If he chooses the weapon component method, the iron mage carefully refines his martial techniques in tandem with spellcasting, working them into a single cohesive discipline. When wielding a melee weapon with which he is proficient, he gains the benefit of the Eschew Materials feat and can use the weapon in place of any non-costly focus component. Additionally, he can perform somatic components using the weapon as if it were a free hand. Finally, when wielding such a weapon he gains a +1 competence bonus to all caster level checks. This bonus increases to +2 at 9th level, +3 at 13th level, and +4 at 17th level.

Greater Witching (Su): At 19th level, the iron mage can perform a greater witching attack as a standard action. He makes a single attack which is imbued with Arcane Strike and his witching effect, plus an additional effect depending on his school of focus.

High arcana: At 20th level the iron mage's warding and witching become innate. His warding is always active, except when suppressed by anti-magic. He gains the benefit of Arcane Strike, including his witching effect, on every weapon attack without needing to spend a swift action to activate it.

Schools
Abjuration
Your specialize in hindering the enemy's offense, both magical and physical.
Warding: You gain a +2 (per rank) shield bonus to AC. This is a force effect.
Witching: The target suffers a -2 (per rank) penalty to attack rolls for 1 round. Additionally, your weapon overcomes any damage reduction based on alignment.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack finds itself pacified for one round. When so affected, it treats all other creatures as if they were protected by the sanctuary spell. The saving throw DC to overcome this protection is equal to 10 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier.
School powers:
- Protective Ward (Su): At 3rd level, as a standard action, you can create a 10-foot-radius field of protective magic centered on you that lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Intelligence modifier. All allies in this area (including you) receive a +1 deflection bonus to their AC for 1 round. This bonus increases by +1 for every five iron mage levels you possess. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
- Unfettered (Su): Beginning at 7th level, once per day as a swift action, you can touch a creature to bestow the benefits of the freedom of movement spell for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. You can use this ability an additional time per day at 10th level, and every 5 levels thereafter.
- Greater Dispel Magic (Sp): You can use greater dispel magic as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, and twice per day at 17th level.
- Arcane Ablation (Su): At 15th level, you gain spell resistance equal to your iron mage level + 12.

Evocation
Yours is the magic of raw energy and destruction, but also of controlled force.
Warding: You gain a +1 (per rank) deflection bonus to AC.
Witching: You deal +1d4 (per rank) force damage. Additionally, your weapon is considered to have the ghost touch enhancement.
Greater Witching: A wave of force follows your weapon, brutally impacting against any creature struck. This attack doubles your normal witching bonus (including the bonus damage from Arcane Strike), and grants you a free bull rush against the target with a +5 circumstance bonus. If your bull rush is successful the subject flies away from you and falls prone. The target moves the full distance indicated by your bull rush result unless an obstacle prevents it, in which case it falls in the nearest square adjacent to that obstacle, and both your target and the obstacle take 1d6 points of damage. Unlike a normal bull rush, you cannot follow your target.
School powers:
- Force Missile (Su): At 3rd level, as a standard action, you can release a force missile that automatically strikes a foe, as magic missile. The force missile deals 1d4 damage + 1 for every 2 iron mage levels you possess. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
- Spell channeling (Su): Beginning at 7th level, once per day as a move action, you can imbue your weapon with any evocation spell you have prepared. The spell is expended as if cast. The next successful attack made with that weapon delivers the spell's effects to the creature struck, allowing no saving throw or spell resistance. Regardless of the spell's normal targets or area of effect, only the creature struck is affected. If a successful attack is not made with that weapon within a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level, the imbued spell is lost. You can use this ability an additional time per day at 10th level, and every 5 levels thereafter.
- Forceful Hand (Sp): You can use forceful hand as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, and twice per day at 17th level.
- Reactive Defense (Su): At 15th level, whenever you take damage from a physical attack, the impact triggers a burst of force which streaks back to the attacker, dealing damage equal to your witching bonus.

Necromancy
You weave dire curses to confound your foes, and fortify your own body with negative energy.
Warding: You gain DR 1/- (per rank).
Witching: The target suffers a -1 (per rank) penalty to attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks and ability checks for 1 round. Additionally, your weapon overcomes any damage reduction based on the type of damage dealt.
Greater Witching: A creature damaged by your attack suffers a severe curse of unluck for one round. Whenever the subject makes an attack roll, a saving throw, or a skill or ability check, it must roll twice and take the worse result.
School powers:
- Grave Touch (Su): At 3rd level, you can make a melee touch attack as a standard action that causes a living creature to become shaken for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. If you touch a shaken creature with this ability, it becomes frightened for 1 round if it has fewer Hit Dice than your iron mage level. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
- False Flesh (Su): Beginning at 7th level, once per day as an immediate action, you can gain temporary hit points equal to twice your iron mage level. These hit points vanish after a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. You can use this ability an additional time per day at 10th level, and every 5 levels thereafter.
- Eyebite (Sp): You can use eyebite as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, and twice per day at 17th level.
- Eeriness (Su): At 15th level, as a free action at will, you can radiate an aura of necromantic energy which causes all creatures within 30 feet to become shaken for one round unless they succeed on a Will saving throw with a DC equal to 10 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier. You can exclude a number of creatures equal to your Intelligence bonus from this effect, and you are immune to your own fear aura.

Transmutation
Your arcane art grants adaptability and tactical advantage.
Warding: You gain a +1 (per rank) enhancement bonus to natural armor and reflex saving throws.
Witching: All of the target's movement speeds are reduced by 5 feet (per rank) for one round, to a minimum of 0. Additionally, your weapon overcomes any damage reduction based on special materials.
Greater Witching: Your weapon momentarily passes through parallel planes as you attack, bypassing physical defenses. You ignore any armor, natural armor or shield bonuses to your target's AC, unless those bonuses arise from force effects. Critical hits threatened by this attack are automatically confirmed. On a successful hit, you cause the target's physical defenses to become insubstantial, allowing any other physical attack made against the target to gain the same benefits for one round.
School powers:
- Expedience (Su): At 3rd level, as a free action, you can increase all of your base movement speeds by 5 feet per 2 iron mage levels you possess. This adjustment is treated as an enhancement bonus, and lasts for 1 round. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
- Distortion (Su): Beginning at 7th level, once per day as a move action, you can change the size of yourself or one creature within 30 feet of you for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your iron mage level. You may increase or decrease the target's size by up to two categories. An unwilling creature is entitled to a Fortitude saving throw, DC = 10 + 1/2 your iron mage level + your Intelligence modifier. If you choose to enlarge the target and insufficient room is available for the desired growth, the creature attains the maximum possible size and may make a Strength check (using its increased Strength) to burst any enclosures in the process. If it fails, it is constrained without harm by the materials enclosing it. You can use this ability an additional time per day at 10th level, and every 5 levels thereafter.
- Mage's Lucubration (Sp): You can use mage's lucubration as a spell-like ability once per day at 11th level, and twice per day at 17th level.
- Morphic Reach (Su): At 15th level, your natural reach increases by 5 feet.

Thanks to Loopy for planting a few seeds. :)

Needs a good introductory description, and probably a couple more Low Arcana for diversity. And of course, fixes for whatever glaring flaws and terrible imbalance everyone else points out!

Mysticism is an original magic system which I originally conceptualized after reading through various comments the "What does psionics mean to you?" thread on these boards during the PFRPG beta. Having absorbed various ideas ranging from James Jacobs's commentary on "going nova" and how the 6-second workday is more crippling than impressive, through a personal realization that I liked incarnum more than psionics in nearly every way except the actual mechanics: ideas started brewing.

After some fits and starts and a bit of a break while waiting for the final PFRPG to release (and then playing with it for a while!) I've finally gotten the core mechanics and three base classes into a shape I'm happy with. The talent (power/meld) list contains only one example entry, and a couple of multiple-choice class features are similarly scant in selection. There are two feats, and only one generic magic item type (created by one of the feats). In short: this is pre-alpha material, generally unplayable as yet.

I'm looking for two things at this moment. First, review of the core concept: I'd like to hear both first impressions and closer analyses from math-headed powergamers and casual roleplayers alike. Is it readable? Do the checks on going nova in a point-based system seem workable? Does it seem fun, different, and not clunky or too heavy on bookkeeping? Have I totally missed the mark on power level, in either direction?

And second, ideas! Feats, talents, options for aforementioned class features... the more the merrier. I think I've built a system which can faithfully represent a crystal-clutching psychic, an enlightened mountaintop guru, a sufi dervish, fireball-hurling anime brawlers and the good ol' soulknife. Help me flesh those out, and think of more!

If you're interested in taking a peek, please post here and send me an email: tanuki at gmail dot com. Put "Mystic" in the title, let me know your forum handle, and say hello. People I recognize and respect hereabouts will get precedence, but enthusiasm counts for something too. :)

I've been working on an expansion, tentatively titled Path of the Mystic. It's essentially a hybridization of 3.5e psionics and incarnum: mystic characters have talents which can be manifested to provide a constant benefit (like a soulmeld), and can also channel ki through their talents to create various spell-like effects (like psionic powers). Shared with both is the idea that each talent scales in power; each talent has five manifestation ranks and five corresponding channel ranks, with higher ranks being unlocked at later levels. (The ki mechanic is identical to that of a monk, though the "full-caster" mystic classes get twice as much, and the ki pool is shared between classes.)

I've got the core mechanics nailed down, and three full base classes. Now it's on to the talents themselves, which is no small task because each one is basically ten separate effects (manifest and channel, five ranks each). And here's where I'm a little uncertain how to proceed... basically, I'm to a point where I'd love to get some creative input, not to mention extra eyes on the mechanics and their clarity. So on the one hand, I kind of want to share what I've done so far.

On the other hand, I've put a pile of work into this already and I know I've got several piles more to go, and I want to be able to sell it. Self-publication is something I find myself shying away from for various reasons, so I don't want to ruin my chances of finding a publisher by having already spewed my original content into cyberspace! Now, qualifying for the PFRPG compatibility license requires that you distribute under OGL in the first place; so it's very possible that publishers hereabouts are less concerned with advance exposure. It's also possible that self-publication is a more viable option in this particular niche (and hey, I do have a talented artist in my pocket).

Essentially, this is unfamiliar territory and I'm hoping for some pointers on how best to conduct myself. :) Do want: feedback, ideas, playtesting; do not want: to ruin my chances of getting paid for all this work.

Any advice?

As a general rule in 3.5 (which I haven't yet located in PFRPG but it should still apply in most cases) if one of a creature's abilities created more creatures which would normally have their own separate challenge ratings, they do not count as additional challenge (therefore do not provide XP) because the ability to create/attract/summon them is rolled in with the challenge rating of the master.

Now, for situations like summon monster this is obviously appropriate.

I'm a little less convinced about animate dead. Do those skeletons and zombies count toward the master's material wealth (25GP of onyx per hit die)? If so, there's an argument in favor of them being a part of his power. But even so: what if they're guarding a site far from the necromancer? It seems wrong to just give zero experience because they were technically a class feature.

This same argument applies to several zero-GP-cost character features: animal companions, Leadership cohorts, Command Undead minions. How should XP be rewarded?

To bring in the specific example at hand, my PCs just finished clearing through the lair of a 4th level cleric of Zon-Kuthon (elite NPC, CR3, appropriate gear/money including cost of created undead).

The entry guard was a Bloody Dire Ape Skeleton (4HD, controlled via Control Undead, CR3 on its own).

There were a total of 16 HD worth of undead, created from animate dead scrolls since he couldn't actually cast it yet himself. 8HD of these (four skeletons, two zombies) were milling about in one room, serving as both a minor party resource dump and an alarm system (combat noise notified the cleric of the party's presence).

The other 8HD (four zombies) were in the room with him, and by the time the party made it in he'd cast Desecration on the area.

All of this was technically one CR3 cleric. Three separate encounters, one CR3 without the cleric, one tactically nasty so it should be at +1 CR... but technically also at -1 because several of the cleric's class features, gear-wealth and feats were nullified by previous fights!

I'm going to just fudge the whole session's XP into one generous glob because there were some good story points and a harrowing fight with a river (gnome + scale mail + water = hilarity), but I'm really curious how others handle this sort of situation.

Okay, I swear I saw a PF hecuva (a friend was there and even made The Pun) but it's not in either bestiary preview! What am I smoking? :P

Working on some original material and I have a class which gains the Mettle ability (as per e.g. Hexblade), but I don't know if that was ever printed under the OGL. Not a big issue, I'm already using different wording (same effect, just a cleaner description) and can rename it if necessary, but it's nice to use familiar terms when possible.

I see the topic come up on various threads and often want to comment but it's generally a derail. Let's have a thread for alignment discussion. :)

To kick it off, here's my minimally verbose take on the polar alignments.

Good: Assist others...
Evil: Use others...

Law: ...as is proper.
Chaos: ...by whatever means.

As an aside, I generally allow LE but disallow CN for my players.

In the Bestiary preview, trip is listed with the damage for the attack. I looked in the specific ability descriptions at the front, didn't find it there. Is an additional CMB roll required, or does a creature bitten by a wolf just fall over?

Because of the conversion from 3.5's touch-then-strength model, in which the successful bite replaced the touch attack, I'm genuinely perplexed here; I could see it going either way. It's not really fair to require a second touch attack (which is part of the math behind the CMB mechanic), but it also seems a little ridiculous to let an attack vs. AC trip an elephant!

Pretty sure this will be the final list for my group (finally starting next week), and I'm interested in what people think of it all; mostly if anything seems boneheadedly over- or under-powered (or otherwise broken). I'm not including debatable RAW rulings here, only outright changes or additions to the rules.

RULES
- Maximized "first hit die" is retroactively the largest hit die you have.
- "Favored class" is the non-prestige class in which you have the most levels.
- An additional swift action can be performed by sacrificing a standard action (but not a move action).
- 5-foot steps provoke attacks of opportunity.
- Withdraw is a standard action which allows a single move.
- Concentration DC to cast defensively is 10 + (SpLvl x3)
- Base Spellcraft DC to create magic items is 15 + caster level. You may exceed your actual caster level when creating any item, and this does not count as a missing prerequisite. (If a caster level is specifically listed as a prerequisite, such as for magic arms and armor, you must actually have that CL or raise the DC by +5.) You cannot take 10 on this check.

RACES

Half Orc:
+2 Str, -2 Cha, +2 any mental stat (can negate Cha penalty).

CLASSES

Bard:
When using the Versatile Performance class feature you can roll both a Perform check and a check with the actual skill, taking the better result. You can only do this if you are trained in both the performace type and the associated skill.

Cleric:
No Domain slot, Domain spells are added to spell list and may be cast spontaneously; no spontaneous Cure/Inflict unless these are domain spells!
May select Positive or Negative energy regardless of ethos; may channel opposite energy for double cost.

Wizard (or arcane Sorcerer):
Arcane Bond item serves as any non-costly focus for spellcasting.
Losing familiar causes same detriment as losing bonded item.
Once per day a familiar can cast a spell in lieu of its master; each spell component may be provided by either master or familiar; familiar is the source of the spell, but can use the share spells ability to share with master (or designate master as toucher if it has the deliver touch spells ability); works at any distance so long as empathic link is functional and both master and familiar are conscious.

SKILLS

The Heal skill can be used to discern the dead from the dying. As a standard action which provokes attacks of opportunity, you may examine one fallen creature. The DM makes a heal check for you in secret against a DC of 10 + the number of negative hit points the creature currently has. If the creature is below zero hit points and alive but bleeding out (losing hit points each round), subtract 5 from the DC. If the creature is merely feigning death, you oppose its Bluff check instead. Failing this roll always indicates that the creature is dead. Making the DC lets you know how many negative hit points the creature has and whether it is stable, and beating the DC by 5 or more lets you know exactly how far the creature is from death. If the creature does not share your base type (e.g. humanoid) you must also succeed on a Knowledge check (DC 10 + creature's CR) to understand its basic anatomy and vital functions; this check need not be rolled in secret, and is unnecessary if you have already established familiarity with the creature's type (i.e., succeeded on a previous Knowledge check). You can perform this examination more quickly: to check a creature as a swift action which does not provoke attacks of opportunity, add 10 to the DC. You can also examine creatures at a distance, adding 5 to the DC for every 5 feet of space between you and the subject. Retry yes (but this does not extend to any required Knowledge check).

FEATS

Channel Smite: Does not allow a saving throw.

Extra Channel: Can be taken multiple times, stacks.

Improved Channel: Channel dice become d8's. (+2 save DC removed.)

Improved Favored Enemy: Req. appropriate Knowledge skill (3 ranks). Choose one of your favored enemies. You may apply 1/2 of your bonus against that enemy to other creatures which share the same Knowledge category. This does not cause creatures other than your actual selected favored enemy to be treated as favored enemies for any purpose.

Improved Shield Bash:
Keep AC vs. bash target only, can bash as main-hand attack.

Mobility: Additionally, you do not provoke attacks of opportunity when taking a 5-foot step.

Point Blank Shot: REMOVED. For conversion purposes, I'm replacing this with Deadly Aim.

Precise Shot: Replaces Point Blank Shot as prerequisite for the tree.

Shield Slam: req. Imp. Shield Bash, Imp. Bullrush, BAB +6; free bash on bullrush.

Shield Master: req. Imp Shield Bash, BAB +6; retain shield AC vs. all when bashing, bash deals damage as one size larger.

Versatile Channel: Equally proficient in channeling both positive and negative energy; pay normal cost for both.

EQUIPMENT

Although it is not a reach weapon, a spiked chain can be used to attack a target 10 feet away as if it had reach. This provokes attacks of opportunity as if you were attacking with a thrown weapon. You do not actually let go of the chain and cannot attack an enemy more than 10 feet away, but you can make trip or disarm attacks as normal at 10 feet. You do not threaten beyond 5 feet. (Creatures with natural reach increase these ranges accordingly.)

SPELLS

Cone of Cold: Fortitude save.
Freezing Sphere: Fortitude save.

Apologies if this has been talked to death while I was elsewhere, but I don't see anything about it on the forums... I just now got around to downloading the teaser for the first two pages of the Races section, and unless there's more on the next page, dwarves don't appear to have a favored class.

I don't think I mind. :)

With the three "lose attack to gain benefit" feats now capped by their relevant attribute modifier, do we need to also keep the BAB cap on them? It might seem like a shaky proposition (mainly due to Barbarians, raging to 22 Str, getting +12 more damage at level 1) but at the same time, -6 to hit is a BIG penalty at low levels, no matter who you are.

And more importantly, a rogue taking Expertise at level 1 doesn't break conceptual immersion with a feat he can't use.

Per subject line: PBS kind of sucks, but it can't be eliminated as it's prereq for the entire archery tree.

Deadly Aim is a reasonably good feat, and incidentally fits the flavor of the phrase "point blank shot" perfectly: I don't have any range increments on this attack? Sweet! I can apply my precision to where it hits and not just what!

So how about it? Power Attack and Combat Expertise are the roots of their respective trees. Point Blank Shot replicating the mechanics of those feats seems pretty natural to me.