Mage-Killer - Faerun Prestige Class
This is a Forgotten Realms Exclusive Class
Mage-killers are a rare breed. They master magic designed for combat against other spellcasters. They learn not only combat skills such as might be taught to a warrior, but also spells that target the weaknesses of their foes. Some use traps, others use weapons, but all hone their magical skills to a fine point, for it is those skills that distinguish them from the usual run of hunters and killers. They develop friendships with the sorts of people who can lead them to their foes, but the dirty business of overcoming those foes they take upon their own shoulders.
Most mage-killers are essentially bounty hunters specializing in a particular sort of prey. Some, however, follow such a path out of religious conviction. Ironically, followers of both Azuth and Shar use mage-killers in the pursuit of their respective deity's aims. The church of Azuth believes in the responsible use of magic. This prevents others not gifted in the Art from treating all spellcasters as enemies, but also preserves the very Weave itself. Azuth's followers usually first offer a warning to any spellcaster who abuses the powers he possesses. Failing that, however, they increase the response, until at last they are forced to send a mage-killer to defeat the reckless spellcaster.
Shar's followers, of course, concern themselves with the Weave only insofar as it affects the Shadow Weave. Their mage-killers instead seek out prominent Weave users and kill them publicly as a warning to those who oppose their deity and as a demonstration of the power of the Shadow Weave. Through such means, Shar's followers hope to weaken Mystra's power over magic. So far, her followers have had little success in weakening Mystra's might, since the sorts of spells they prefer are not all so well suited to overcoming other spellcasters. What mages they have killed were as often as not taken down by her deadly Dark Moon sorcerer-monks. But if they seem, on the surface, less well suited to the task of killing other spellcasters, their fanatical devotion to their deity's cause more than makes up for it.
Hit Die: d4
To qualify to become a Mage-Killer, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Skills: Spellcraft 10 ranks.
- Feats: Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes, Combat Casting, Martial Weapon Proficiency (any).
- Spellcasting: Ability to cast 4th-level arcane. or divine spells. Ability to cast at least three spells that require Fortitude saves and at least three spells that require Reflex saves. (A spell that inflicts damage but allows no saving throw can substitute for any of these required spells.)
From:
Magic of Faerûn
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