Academic Wizard (NPC Wizard Archetype)


Homebrew and House Rules


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First and foremost, I did not design this archetype for combat or most types of games for a PC. This is more of an NPC class that I felt would fit well into a world where not all wizards are adventurers or capable of casting a spell on an instant's notice. I felt the archetype was also useful for some lower-magic campaigns, but it's primarily an NPC class.

I'll also note that I wrote it for fun in about half an hour. So if there are mistakes...I'm not terribly surprised. I tried to avoid them, though.

Academic Wizard (Wizard Archetype)
Some wizards aren’t the type to go out into the world and adventure. These academic wizards perform slow, careful magic, and tend to be far less dangerous than most of their brethren. However, the great knowledge of these academics is well known, and they have a knack for utilizing rituals.

Methodical Casting: An academic wizard casts spells more slowly than other wizards. Spells that would take an immediate or swift action to cast take him a full-round action. Spells that would take a standard, full-round, or 1 round casting time now take 1 minute to cast. Spells that take more than one round to cast, but less than 1 minute, take 1 minute per round of their original casting time. Spells that take 1 minute or more to cast have their casting time doubled.
An academic wizard can prepare one additional spell of each level he is capable of casting. Additionally, the academic wizard may choose to leave any number of spell slots open when preparing spells as normal. If a spell slot was left open, the wizard may use his spell book as a focus and cast a spell directly from his spell book by using a spell slot of the correct level. An academic wizard may not apply metamagic feats to spells cast in this manner, and the spellbook generally must occupy a hand during the spellcasting. This alters the wizard’s spellcasting.
Class Skills: An academic wizard gains 4 + Intelligence modifier skills per level, and at 1st level may choose 4 additional skills as class skills. This alters the wizard’s class skills.
Bardic Knowledge (Ex): An academic wizard adds half his class level (minimum 1) on all Knowledge skill checks and may make all Knowledge skill checks untrained. If the academic wizard possesses this ability from multiple classes, their levels stack to determine the total bonus.
Ritual Caster (Ex): An academic wizard finds occult rituals easier to cast than most other spellcasters. The academic wizard adds half his class level (minimum 1) to all non-Knowledge skill checks made to cast an occult ritual. If the academic wizard is the primary caster of an occult ritual he halves the casting time of the ritual (this does not reduce the number of skill checks required).


I like it!


Thankies. I had fun with the idea, and thought other people might also make use of it.

I debated naming it the Sage or such...but this just felt like more fun. Especially since I've been creating dozens of occult rituals in my setting for other purposes (like the classic idiot apprentice summoning a demon from a spellbook).


I kind of like it too.


If these wizards aren't going on adventures, then obviously they are in no hurry to cast spells (which you already know). Basically, they aren't really giving up anything by taking extra time to cast spells - because they aren't in combat. Spells that take 1 minute or 20 minutes are all the same to them, at least from a game balance point of view. If you just want everything to take long because this is for NPCs, then it probably doesn't need a write-up anyways. As the GM you an just say that the spell takes a whole minute to cast. I think you could simply say that any spell with a casting time of 1 standard action or less now takes 1 round. It will accomplish the purpose I believe, because while casting they are at risk, and nothing will truly be on the fly. However, the can get a spell cast before a combat is done if they need to.

On the subject of granting additional spell slots, if they aren't casting spells during combat then they probably don'tneed more spell slots. They could actually get away with having few spell slots.

I'm not a big fan of just allowing the class to choose 4 new skills. I'm not saying it can't be done or that there is no precedence for it, but I think it should be avoided. As an alternative, you could choose which skills are added their class list, or restrict the choices to a certain list.

I would change the name of Bardic Knowledge to Lore, as the loremaster class feature. Mechanically the same, but thematically more fitting.

I like the concept but I don't think you're on target with your execution of the abilities. Sorry for all of the naysaying. However, compliments are not as helpful as criticism.


Overall, despite the change to casting, it's essentially a buff to a class that doesn't need one.

As far as wizards, go Loremaster serves much of this purpose, So does Expert in thier skill structure, minus the casting and I really don't see the need to put Experts and Bards out of work.


Ciaran Barnes wrote:
If these wizards aren't going on adventures, then obviously they are in no hurry to cast spells (which you already know). Basically, they aren't really giving up anything by taking extra time to cast spells - because they aren't in combat. Spells that take 1 minute or 20 minutes are all the same to them, at least from a game balance point of view. If you just want everything to take long because this is for NPCs, then it probably doesn't need a write-up anyways. As the GM you an just say that the spell takes a whole minute to cast. I think you could simply say that any spell with a casting time of 1 standard action or less now takes 1 round. It will accomplish the purpose I believe, because while casting they are at risk, and nothing will truly be on the fly. However, the can get a spell cast before a combat is done if they need to.

Fair point, I was mostly writing up the durations as I was working out what various actions I knew spells could be cast with. That being said, I still feel that the longer casting times are actually important, because there are rare occasions when they could cast spells (or at least try) in combat situations. Battlefield magic, for instance, if someone is doing something similar to mass combat or the like.

Ciaran Barnes wrote:
On the subject of granting additional spell slots, if they aren't casting spells during combat then they probably don'tneed more spell slots. They could actually get away with having few spell slots.

No, they might not need the spell slots, but that doesn't mean they haven't learned to wield magic more precisely than a regular wizard. I viewed this as something they gained for being far more careful with their spells...and which also makes them much more likely to have spells available when a PC comes to them and asks "Can you cast X for me?". The other aspect is that I'm imagining them using spells for research frequently.

Ciaran Barnes wrote:
I'm not a big fan of just allowing the class to choose 4 new skills. I'm not saying it can't be done or that there is no precedence for it, but I think it should be avoided. As an alternative, you could choose which skills are added their class list, or restrict the choices to a certain list.

Entirely fair. As I said in my initial post, this was thrown together in half an hour as the concept struck me. I thought about restricting the skill list they could choose from, then chose to not worry about it, as it'd take too long. Besides, I'm seeing these guys as grad students, and their studies are likely...esoteric.

Ciaran Barnes wrote:
I would change the name of Bardic Knowledge to Lore, as the loremaster class feature. Mechanically the same, but thematically more fitting.

Yup. I considered changing the name, then simply didn't worry about it. I forgot about the loremaster, so I'll adjust it to Lore in my private documents. *makes a note*

Ciaran Barnes wrote:
I like the concept but I don't think you're on target with your execution of the abilities. Sorry for all of the naysaying. However, compliments are not as helpful as criticism.

It isn't naysaying. You may not agree (which is entirely fine!), but it's also the product of different assumptions of what the design goals are. Each person is different, and looking at different things. These mages are, to me, the crafters, the experimenters, and the mages who panic the second someone invades their university/tower. "Gelfling in the castle!"


Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:

Overall, despite the change to casting, it's essentially a buff to a class that doesn't need one.

As far as wizards, go Loremaster serves much of this purpose, So does Expert in thier skill structure, minus the casting and I really don't see the need to put Experts and Bards out of work.

...I don't see it as a buff, but entirely fair!

I also don't see most PCs as thinking it'd be worth the time to read.


Benjamin Medrano wrote:
Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:

Overall, despite the change to casting, it's essentially a buff to a class that doesn't need one.

As far as wizards, go Loremaster serves much of this purpose, So does Expert in thier skill structure, minus the casting and I really don't see the need to put Experts and Bards out of work.

...I don't see it as a buff, but entirely fair!

I also don't see most PCs as thinking it'd be worth the time to read.

hiking up spells from one action to full round isn't that severe a penalty compared to everything else that this archetype loads in. You're still getting one regular spell plus one possible swift per round... the same as a standard wizard for the most part.


Benjamin Medrano wrote:


Methodical Casting: An academic wizard casts spells more slowly than other wizards. Spells that would take an immediate or swift action to cast take him a full-round action. Spells that would take a standard, full-round, or 1 round casting time now take 1 minute to cast. Spells that take more than one round to cast, but less than 1 minute, take 1 minute per round of their original casting time. Spells that take 1 minute or more to cast have their casting time doubled.
An academic wizard can prepare one additional spell of each level he is capable of casting. Additionally, the academic wizard may choose to leave any number of spell slots open when preparing spells as normal. If a spell slot was left open, the wizard may use his spell book as a focus and cast a spell directly from his spell book by using a spell slot of the correct level. An academic wizard may not apply metamagic feats to spells cast in this manner, and the spellbook generally must occupy a hand during the spellcasting. This alters the wizard’s spellcasting.

Edit: I think you missed a line.

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