Made these up a few months ago and thought I'd see what other Paizonians might think of them. I think they are fairly balanced but there is certainly potential to abuse them.
They all function as specialty schools in that you pick two opposition schools when you select one.
Arcane Repository Specialties
Some wizards become dependent on their arcane bonds. The constant use of these bonds allows these wizards to use them in ways unfathomable to other specialists.
Wizards who focus on their familiar bond develop an extremely close relationship to their familiars.
A familiar bond specialist does not keep a spellbook. Instead, the wizard's familiar stores wizard spells in the same way that a witch's familiar stores witch spells.
A familiar bond specialist does not receive an extra spell slot per level. Instead, his familiar may cast any one spell stored within it of each spell level per day that its master is capable of casting (but not cantrips). The familiar uses its own Intelligence to determine the DC of the spell, but its caster level is equal to its master's. The familiar may cast these spells even if it doesn't have a high enough Intelligence.
Familiar Focus (Su): A familiar bond specialist is treated as two levels higher when determining his familiar's abilities based on the table from chapter three of the Core Rulebook. This increase also counts when determining which familiars are available for selection with the Improved Familiar feat. At 20th level, your familiar gains immunity to spells and spell-like abilities cast by creatures other than itself or its master, although it is still affected by spells through the spell transference ability (see below). The familiar also gains a permanent +4 inherent bonus to its Intelligence.
Infuse Familiar (Su): As a standard action, you may focus your arcane power into your familiar with a touch. Your familiar gains the advanced template from the Bestiary for a number of rounds equal to ½ your wizard level. At 10th level you may add the giant template in addition to the advanced template to your familiar, or you may increase your familiar's Intelligence by an amount equal to ½ your wizard level. The increase to Intelligence is an enhancement bonus.
You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
Spell Transference (Su): At 8th level, you may share or transfer the effects of any spell or spell-like ability you or your familiar are actively affected by with your familiar as a standard action for a number of rounds per day equal to your wizard level. These rounds do not need to be consecutive and you may deactivate the ability as a swift action. If you choose to share a spell, half the remaining duration of the spell rounded down. If you choose to transfer the spell, the new target suffers all remaining benefits or detriments for the full remaining duration or until the rounds per day are expended. In either case, if you use up the number of rounds per day this effect can remain activate for, or deactivate it before the spell duration expires, the spell effect returns to the original target for the remaining duration.
You must be within 30 feet of your familiar to active this ability.
Many wizards have an affinity for the magic baubles of their craft.
Reliquary bond specialists do not receive an extra spell per spell level for specializing.
If a reliquary bond specialist's bonded item is destroyed, he only needs to wait 3 days (instead of 1 week) before it can be replaced, and the ritual only takes 4 hours (instead of 8 hours) to perform. A reliquary bond specialist who attempts to cast a spell without their bonded item takes a -4 penalty to their concentration check.
Bauble (Su): Any spell a reliquary bond specialist casts that doesn't belong to an opposition school receives +1 to the DC so long as their bonded item is at full hit points and worn or wielded. At 20th level, the bond between wizard and relic becomes so close that upon the mage's death, his soul enters and possesses the item. The item becomes an intelligent item with mental traits equal to the wizard's and ego in accordance with his Intelligence. Its alignment matches its master's and it gains Empathy and Senses (30ft.). The item's purpose is to bring its master back to life. The item has no intelligent item powers but retains any enchantments it previously had and may cast a spell, or a number of spells (see below), per day as the bonded item ability (the item counts as a 20th level wizard). The spells cast by the item are at its own behest, it has no obligation to serve its possessor and can even attack if it feels so inclined. If the wizard is resurrected, the item loses these qualities.
The item counts as the material and arcane focus components for the clone and magic jar spells (including the physical portion needed for the clone and the body and jar for magic jar) as long as the clone is of the reliquary bond specialist. The wizard can reanimate with the appropriate spells so long as the item is not being worn, carried, or otherwise used.
Reliquary Focus (Su): If your bonded item is a staff or a wand you may activate it a number of times per day equal to 3 +your Intelligence modifier without expending any of it's charges. If it takes more than one change to activate the item, you must expend that many uses of this ability to activate it.
If your bonded item is a weapon, as a standard action you may make a single attack at your highest attack bonus. If the attack hits, you may refill an expended spell slot as though using a pearl of power of the appropriate level. This ability only works on creatures with hit dice equal to or greater than your own. This ability is usable a number of times per day equal to 3 +your Intelligence modifier.
(alternative bonded weapon option)
(If your bonded item is a weapon, as a standard action you may make a single attack at your highest attack bonus with the bonded item. If the attack hits, you may siphon the essence of your target to fill an expended spell slot. If you strike an outsider, you may fill a spell slot with a spell that shares a description with the creature ( for instance, hitting a fire elemental would let you regain fireball). If you strike an undead creature you may regain a necromancy spell. Striking a creature capable of shape changing (by spells, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities only and not items) allows you to refill a slot with a polymorph spell and reverts the creature to its natural form. Striking a summoned creature banishes that creature back to its home plane and allows you to refill a slot with an appropriate summon spell but you may only summon that exact kind of creature. A creature is allowed a Will save with a DC equal to 10 + ½ you wizard level + Intelligence to negate this effect and any other effect that it would receive. This ability is usable a number of times per day equal to 3 +your Intelligence modifier and has no effect on other types of creatures. This ability cannot be used on non-hostile creatures or creatures that are helpless.)
If your bonded item is an amulet or ring, you may use it a number of times per day equal to 3 +your Intelligence modifier to cast any spell that is in your spellbook and are capable of casting instead of the normal once per day. Each time you use this ability after the first you must make a Will save equal to 10 +the level of the spell cast +the number of times it has already been used that day. If you fail this save, the item losses one hit point, the use is wasted, and the DC goes up by 2 until the item is repaired. If the item is reduced to zero or fewer hit points it explodes in a burst of arcane energy and you take damage equal to 10 x the level of the spell you were attempting to cast.
Aether Blade (Sp): At 8th level, if your bonded item is a weapon, you can infuse it with arcane power. As a swift action, for a number of rounds per day equal to your wizard level you may treat your bonded weapon as a ghost touch weapon. You may also ignore an amount of DR equal to half your wizard level as long as this ability is in effect. At 12th level, you may treat your bonded item as a brilliant energy weapon instead of a ghost touch weapon. These rounds do not need to be consecutive.
Hair Trigger (Su): At 8th level, if your bonded item is a staff or wand, you may activate it twice as a full round action. You may use this ability a number of rounds per day equal to your wizard level. These rounds do not need to be consecutive.
Arcane Reliquary (Su): At 8th level, if your bonded item is an amulet or ring, whenever you are dealt damage from an arcane spell or spell-like ability your bonded item absorbs the damage. The total amount of damage the bonded item can prevent each is equal to twelve times your wizard level. In addition, for every 10 points of damage absorbed from a single attack, you may extend the duration of any active spell affecting you by one round. This ability only protects against spells and spell-like abilities that deal hit point damage. The amount of damage the item can absorb is reset when you prepare your spells, but no more than once every 24 hours.
Some wizards prefer to focus on perfecting the arcane art of metamagic.
The additional spell slot per spell level from specializing can only be used to prepare a spell affected by a metamagic feat.
Metamagic Focus (Su): Whenever you apply a metamagic feat to a spell that increases the slot used by at least one level, increase the spell's DC by +1. This bonus does not stack with itself and does not apply to spells modified by the Heighten Spell feat. At 20th level, you may reduce the level increase of all metamagic feats you apply by one, to a minimum increase of one. This effect does not stack with metamagic mastery (see below).
Metamagic Intensity (Su): Whenever you apply a metamagic feat to a spell that deals hit point damage, you may add 1/2 your wizard level to the damage (minimum +1). This bonus only applies once to a spell, not once per missile or ray, and cannot be split between multiple missiles or rays. This bonus damage is not increased by Empower Spell or similar effects. This damage is of the same type as the spell.
Whenever you apply a metamagic feat to a spell that has a duration greater than instantaneous, you may increase the duration by a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your wizard level.
You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
Metamagic Mastery (Su): At 8th level, you can apply any one metamagic feat that you know to a spell you are about to cast. This does not alter the level of the spell or the casting time. You can use this ability once per day at 8th level and one additional time per day for every two wizard levels you possess beyond 8th. Any time you use this ability to apply a metamagic feat that increases the spell level by more than 1, you must use an additional daily usage for each level above 1 that the feat adds to the spell. Even though this ability does not modify the spell's actual level, you cannot use this ability to cast a spell whose modified spell level would be above the level of the highest-level spell that you are capable of casting.
While reading these, I was twirling my pen in my hand. It was a nice distraction.
Upon reading Bauble of the Reliquary Bond, I dropped it in surprise. +1 to DCs is big.
And then Reliquary Focus allowing free use of spells is also huge. And Hair Trigger breaking the action economy with the one thing that should not be broken (spells per round!).
...what I'm trying to say is that I highly recommend you take a firm look at that specialty.
Thanks for the comments, Cheapy. These are all concerns I was aware of but haven't gotten around to fixing yet.
I figure I could have the +1 to DCs that Bauble gives only apply to the spells you cast with your bonded item, but that seems a bit weak in comparison to other specialty school powers (at least until you see the Reliquary Focus for amulets and rings). I do agree that the DC boost is too much though... I don't know that a CL boost instead would really fix it either. Hmm.
Were you referring to the staff/wand Reliquary Focus ability or the amulet/ring ability?
I can see how free activations for staves/wands is a bad idea, and sort of defeats the purpose of those items. Perhaps an ability that expended charges for some kind of boost would be more appropriate, though that might favor wands. Any suggestions?
For the amulet/ring ability I was hoping the drawback to Reliquary Focus would be enough to balance things out, but the proper build would be able to abuse it anyway. Though if you do destroy your bond in the middle of a fight, you'll be in a tight spot.
I could rein in Hair Trigger by having it only usable once per day (possibly additional uses at later levels). Ah, I just read that characters can make a swift action the same round they make a full-round action. I'll definitely need to add a caveat about not allowing a swift action on top of this ability, three spells a turn would be way broken. I'm not too concerned about wands being activated multiple times in one round, as they cap out at 4th level, lack the diversity of a staff, and just aren't as good.
Maybe have a DC boost here instead of from Bauble; the boost would only apply to spells cast from the bonded item (staff or wand only) and only usable once per day plus an additional time per day for every 4 additional levels. If that's a bit too weak, make it a +1 to DC and CL for the item.
I could see slipping the Wand Mastery ability from the Magician bard archetype into this, though it's too powerful as is. Maybe a lesser version that lets you use your CL -2 or 4 or something when activating wands.
Generally, if you cast a spell and use an item, you cannot take anymore real actions. Maybe you can take a 5 foot step, say something, or draw a weapon.
I say, don't damage the bauble. Damage the weilder every time an extra spell is cast. 1D6 damage or a temporary loss of 1 intelligence point.
By damaging the bauble you would need to take an action to cast mending on it to keep that Will save DC down, which might slow the caster down somewhat or at least keep him from spamming his bauble in combat.
I say, don't damage the bauble. Damage the weilder every time an extra spell is cast. 1D6 damage or a temporary loss of 1 intelligence point.
Temporary Int damage maybe, but hit point damage doesn't strike me as the best deterrent, considering how easy it is to replenish. Besides, at high levels 1d6 damage is about as dangerous as a stiff wind.
Does anyone know how many hit points a ring or amulet should have? Do any Paizo products mention this?
Hard metal is usually 10 points DA and 20 actual hit points' till the official word comes down.