I really like the Wizard's ability to gain an Arcane Bond with an item, and it gives you the very cool "cast any spell you like once per day" ability, but having flicked through the various splat books (Ultimate Magic, Advanced Class, Advanced Player) it seems not to have receieved a great deal of love. I was expecting to find feats, alternate bond features, special abilities etc but nothing. No way to increase your 'free' spells, add metamagic feats, add special abiities to the item etc.
Surely this is an area ripe for development? Why has it been passed over?
(or is there an Ultimate Arcane Bond splatbook I've missed?)
You can add special abilities to the item, as though you had the relevant craft feat, provided you have reached the appropriate level.
There are a couple of magic items which have features that activate if they are used as an arcane bond. They're in Ultimate Equipment, I believe.
I don't think keeping your bond safe is a major issue. If the GM wasn't targeting gear before, it seems like a jerk move to target it now.
I'd be more interested in things you could trade that particular class feature for all together.
Even still, they are more of a liability than a boon. It's bad enough as wizard keeping your spellbook safe. With an arcane bond item you also need to keep your bond item safe or you can't cast spells reliably at all.
In LOTR Saruman the White was pretty much THE wizard. Then Gandalf becomes more powerful and when they face each other, Gandalf destroys his staff. That's when Saruman was screwed. Pathfinder is kind of like that. That's why there is a lot of hate. There is a Half-Elf racial Witch Archetype which gives you bonded items which is pretty cool, and gives some bonus spells. Familiars also make for nice scouts, plus free pet, so pretty loveable. Keep in mind though, at higher levels concentration checks can pretty much be made automatically for casting spells without bonded items, so it isn't THAT bad.
A class feature that grants you ever more powerful spells from an ever increasingly wide list of them doesn't really need to BE more powerful.
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It's bad enough as wizard keeping your spellbook safe.Really? That's a major issue in your campaigns?
GM: Mu-ha-ha-HA! Curse that wizard, curse him!! Let me see. This adventure shall take place in the Land of Perpetual Fire. And torrential rain! It shall feature paper-wasp swarms, pyromaniac goblins with Improved Steal, and this new golem I constructed that can smell spellbooks and unleash its terrible erase breath weapon! Thousands of them! The book will die, the book will die! This I vow!
My spell book always goes into pathfinder pouch (in the "off" position) strapped to my inner thigh under my underwear. Sounds a bit ridiculous, but if not actively using it it's one of the best and cheapest ways to keep it safe from overzealous DMs. Of course if a DM wants it theres nothing much that can really be done about it.
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Honestly, I haven't had a gm go after a spellbook in a long time. But I once played a first edition fighter/wizard with no spellbook for 6 sessions. My play experience was abysmal. At least I was able to use a bow.
Since then I have been paranoid about item-dependent class features.
And it's a hell of a lot easier to sunder/disarm a staff that is in hand than a hidden spellbook.
I no longer have it to site the specific issue, but there was a dragon magazine article with rules for a bonded staff to replace a familiar for 3.5. Had a system of scaling bonuses like famimiar, and feats to improve your staff and add special abilities. If you can get your hands on it, it might have some good inspiration for this idea.
Even still, they are more of a liability than a boon. It's bad enough as wizard keeping your spellbook safe. With an arcane bond item you also need to keep your bond item safe or you can't cast spells reliably at all.
Loss of an arcane bond is an inconvenience to a wizard. Loss of your only or last spellbook is devastating.
None of my wizards ever had a problem keeping their arcane bond safe. It pretty much rounded down to keeping the wizard itself safe.
I think more info about this option would be awesome!
Familiars have gotten so much stuff, but bonded items have really gotten nothing, barring a super awesome archetype.
There's a 1st level spell in Magic Tactics Toolbox that allows you to easily and permanently stash a spell book for retrieval, making that a worry of the past.
There's a 1st level spell in Magic Tactics Toolbox that allows you to easily and permanently stash a spell book for retrieval, making that a worry of the past.
More details, please.
Can't remember the name, but it puts your book in a safe location on the Ethereal Plane indefinitely. You can bring it back with a standard action. Burn a 1st level slot every day to keep your primary book safe, or one once for a backup.
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I had missed this gem on my first read-through. Here you go:
School conjuration (summoning); Level magus 1, sorcerer/
wizard 1
Casting Time 1 round
Components V, S
Range touch
Target spellbook touched
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
This spell sends a spellbook into a random but safe location
on the Ethereal Plane, where it remains indefinitely. When
you cast this spell, the target spellbook dissolves into quickly
fading lines of energy and runes that reflect all of the spells
stored within. Thereafter, you can retrieve the spellbook by
concentrating as a standard action, causing it to reappear in
your hands. You cannot cast this spell on another spellbook if
you currently have a spellbook in the Ethereal Plane. No other
creatures or objects accompany the spellbook you send away,
and the duration of any spells currently affecting the spellbook
continue normally.
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I had missed this gem on my first read-through. Here you go:
** spoiler omitted **
Yeah, every Wizard, Magus, Warlock, etc. that I build from now on is going to get that spell.
There are a couple of magic items which have features that activate if they are used as an arcane bond. They're in Ultimate Equipment, I believe.Amulet of Spell Cunning
Amulet of Spell Mastery
Necromancer's Athame
There is always the bonded wizard archetype from Cohorts and Companions, if you really want to bring flavour to your bonded item. Though it does cost you most of your bonus feats.
There is always the bonded wizard archetype from Cohorts and Companions, if you really want to bring flavour to your bonded item. Though it does cost you most of your bonus feats.
Oh, yeah! I forgot about the Bonded Wizard. It's like the Green Lantern version of Wizard.
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Yeah, every Wizard, Magus, Warlock, etc. that I build from now on is going to get that spell.I had missed this gem on my first read-through. Here you go:
** spoiler omitted **
Seconded.