Where are the 20th level NPC casters?

[Mangenorn]

I mean, somebody has to scribble up the 9th level scrolls here and there. How many NPC casters are level 20 in normal civilized Golarion (so occasional sleeping Runelord doesn't count)?

I can only think of the head of the temple of Nethys in Sothis, who is a level 20 Mystic Theurge.

[Kileanna]

Maybe some of the bosses from the APs are scribing scrolls and creating magic items to financiate themselves against the PCs.

Just kidding.

[Civ]

This is a good question. In all of the Pathfinder Chronicles and other books that I have read, the NPC levels usually stop at around 10-15th level. In Mythic Realms it does talk about several NPCs who are 20th level casters, although these people are all equivalent to god level and therefore not likely to spend their time writing up scrolls to sale for minimal (for their power level) prices. The most common source of high level casters is at the Mordant Spire, where "a typical Prime Censor is an 18th level elven wizard" (Mythic Realms 12).

On the whole, 9th level caster's aren't really readily available anywhere. In the Pathfinder Core Rulebook it says that "Even a metropolis isn't guaranteed to have a local spellcaster able to cast 9th level spells." (Pathfinder Core Rulebook 163)

[Mangenorn]

All right, if we expand a little, IIRC, the head of Nidal is an 18th or 19th level cleric. Razmir doesn't really offer casting services.

Thanks for the info on Mordant Spire, didn't know that.

[Simeon]

The ruler of one of the Tian nations, I forget the name but it's primarily inhabited by samsarans, is a 20th level cleric.

[Daw]

Hiding their presence from adventurers, using universities, colleges, guilds, cabals or anything else to keep munchkins and murderhoboes of their front doorsteps.

[Dragonchess Player]

Mangenorn wrote:

I mean, somebody has to scribble up the 9th level scrolls here and there. How many NPC casters are level 20 in normal civilized Golarion (so occasional sleeping Runelord doesn't count)?

According to Inner Sea Magic:

Arazni, "Harlot Queen" of Geb, NE female human lich wizard 20+
Elvanna, Ruler of Irrisen, NE female human witch 20+
Geb, ruler of Geb, LE male human ghost necromancer 20+
Kaltessa Iyis, high-priestess of Mammon, NE female human cleric 10/diabolist 10 (effectively 20th-level cleric for spellcasting)

Some others from outside of "civilized Golarion" and/or not quite 20th-level (but still capable of casting 9th-level spells):
Alicavniss Vonnare, Archmage of Zirnakaynin, CE female drow conjurer 18
Baba Yaga, founder of Irrisen, N female (human) witch 20+
Jatembe, presumed dead, N male human wizard 20+
Nex, missing, N male human wizard 20+
Razmir, ruler of Razmiran, LE male human wizard 19
Socorro, lieutenant of Tar-Baphon, CE male human lich necromancer 17
Tar-Baphon, trapped beneath Gallowspire, NE male lich necromancer 20+

Basically, they mostly have other things to do than scribe 9th-level spell scrolls.

[GM Cwethan]

Dotting 'cause I put together a ridiculous list (still in progress) of high level characters, but it's on my home PC...

[Tinalles]

1) Go to the Pathfinder Wiki page Inhabitants by class.

2) Pick a class -- say, Fighter -- and click it to get to Fighters.

3) Observe the subcategory at the top. Click it to get to Fighters by level.

4) Pick the level you want to know about -- in this case 20th -- and click that category, where you'll find a list of 20th level fighters (all one of him). Similarly, here's the one for 20th level wizards.

Unfortunately they haven't got a category for a complete list of all 20th level characters. So if you want a comprehensive list out of PathfinderWiki, you need to do some digging.

That's further complicated by the fact that in some cases there are categories for level 20+ characters (notably wizards). And then you have to think about NPCs with prestige classes, who may actually be 20th level NPCs -- like Kaltessa Iyis -- but only have 10 levels in a base class.

Still, it's helpful. And pretty often you only really need to know about a specific class or two.

[Brother Fen]

They're supposed to be few and far between.

[GM Cwethan]

Forgot entirely about this thread, Not all of these are CL 20, but here's a (not yet complete) list of people who can cast 9th level spells.

Abdul-Qawi, Grand Vizier of the City of Brass
Alaznist, Runelord of Wrath
Arazni, Harlot Queen of Geb
Areelu Vorelsh, Architect of the Worldwound
Auzmezar, Master of the Stonewilds Circle of Hierophants
Baba Yaga, Actual Baba Yaga
The Crying Kings, Caretakers of the Silent Shrine
Geb, Founder of Geb
Gurklughah, Master of the Ougrethyxus Hive
Old-Mage Jatembe, Rediscoverer of Wizardry
Liluresha, The Sable Maiden
Louhi, Guardian of Baba Yaga's Dancing Hut
Nex, Founder of Nex
Sorshen, Runelord of Lust
Tar-Baphon, the Whispering Tyrant
Xanderghul, Runelord of Pride
Xegirius Malikar, Mad Planewalking Lich
Pharaoh An-Hepsu XI
Eliandra, Defender of Pulura's Fall
Queen Elyanna, Fourteenth Daughter of Baba Yaga
Kaltessa Iyis, High Priestess of Mammon
Karzoug the Claimer, Runelord of Greed
Nefreti Clepati, High Priestess of Nethys
Alling Third, Cyborg-Lich of Crowhollow
Grand High Priestess Aspexia Rugatonn, Master of the Midnight Temple
Isilda, Lady of the Yath
Krimhilde, The Ice Lich of Irrisen
Razmir, Ruler of Razmirran
Socorro, the Butcher of Carrion Hill, Lieutenant of Tar-Baphon
Sorrowbringer Sisstera, Mistress of the City of Pain
The Wriggling Man, Nyrissa's Vizier
Zyra Shraen, Mistress of House Shraen
Alicavniss Vonnarc, Archmage of Zirnakaynin
Princess Cassisoche, Princess of Irrisen, Duchess of Thronehold
Moneris Sarin, Cultist of the Wight Queen
Prince of Fangs, Former servant of the Whispering Tyrant
Xeram, Master of Xin Gastash
Brissa Klygvauther, High Priestess of the Cathedral of the Lawgiver
Archbanker Kalit Maron, High Priestess of Abadar
Rakon Shebes, High Priest of Nethys

I swear this information has been useful to me in the past...

[Balancer]

Personally I would say that Nex (the country) has its fair share but since we have little information on the country it's up to speculation.

[Vidmaster7]

Easiest way I think about it s found magic items could have been setting in that location for thousands of years before their found so it gives a more believable approach You can assume at some point in a thousand years a high level mage misplaced a scroll or two. Now buying them directly I feel is just a lazy mage making easy and safe money.

[Matthew Downie]

Going by the rules, though, Level 9 spell scrolls of every sort are pretty commonly available. That suggests there are a number of level 17 Clerics and Wizards who are scribing a new one daily. And while a few hundred gold profit a day isn't nothing, it seems like you could make more money at that level by a variety of methods.

There's definitely a conflict between the gameplay convenience of magic shops, the crafting rules ("Regardless of the time needed for construction, a caster can create no more than one magic item per day.") and the apparent scarcity of high-level casters. (A conflict which is probably best ignored since it's hard to fix without breaking some other aspect of the game or game world.)

[Vidmaster7]

Would charging more for scrolls create that big of a conflict? I feel like some items are under costed like anything that does a 9th level spell seems like it should be pricey.

[Plausible Pseudonym]

Generally whenever a Campaign Setting or Adventure Path includes a big city Gazetteer it includes the name and short stat line (class/level/alignment) of a previously unknown high level spell caster.

Also note that to justify 9th level scrolls in your world or city all you really need is 9th level Clerics or 10th level Psychics. They can Plane Shift to Axis, the City of Brass, or another big planar metropolis where you'd expect there to be a whole lot of high level casters selling their services and created items. I can buy an iPhone anywhere in America despite there being zero iPhone factories in America, same for magic items in Golarion, just with Teleport and Plane Shift filling in for container ships and Fed Ex and planar cities replacing overseas factories.

[Mangenorn]

Come to think of it, let's throw in some dragons that can cast 9th level spells to the list, from Dragons Unleashed we have:

Ashaq the Annihilator, great red wyrm, Cleric of Dahak 7,
Farauth, great umbral wyrm, in Nidal.
Garudhilyx, great gold wyrm, from Nex.

[archmagi1]

From Adventurer's Guide:
Raviyah al-Khurrat: Clr Sarenrae 18, Senior Priestess at Ba'atdinu Qadesh and Al-Zabriti tribal mediator

There are quite a few 15's in there too, but those 8th levels fall just short of mention in a 9th level scrolls thread.

[Mangenorn]

Level 15 characters were not really that scarce. A lot of the rulers are level 15.