Faerûnian Prestige Class : Council Mage Of Cormyr

Cormyr's famous Council of Mages is a group of arcane spellcasters that advises the Crown on matters pertaining to magic and magical threats, crafts many of the Crown's magic defenses and magic items, and hunts down particularly powerful renegade spellcasters.

The Council of Mages had its start sometime around 70 DR, during the beginnings of Cormyr. Suzail and nearby communities were just beginning to establish themselves as a nation. However, constant attacks from all manner of creatures coming out of what is now known as the King's Forest hampered the efforts of Suzail's king, Rhiiman the Glorious. Men-at-arms were not sufficient protection. The nascent Cormyr needed the help of magic to combat these beasts. Rhiiman ordered Baerauble Etharr, Royal Magician of Cormyr, to assemble all known wizards. Together, the spellcasters devised a plan of attack using only magic and no soldiers at all. Their efforts, which included the destruction of several portals, were successful, and the group of mages became known as the War Wizards. For centuries, the War Wizards' responsibilities and esteem grew.

In 1284 DR, Salember, the Rebel Prince, refused to abdicate the throne of his regency to the rightful king, the young Rhigaerd II. The War Wizards were split. In the end, Salember was slain by Jorunhast, then Royal Magician of Cormyr. However, in slaying a royal, Jorunhast was exiled, and for two decades thereafter, the power of the War Wizards waned. In 1306 DR, Rhigaerd reinstated the post of Royal Magician, naming Vangerdahast. Recognizing the damaged stature of the War Wizards could become a threat to the Forest Kingdom, Vangerdahast reorganized and reinvigorated the War Wizards, splitting the collection of spellcasters into two formally organized groups, the Council of Mages and the War Wizards. The former was made up of elite War Wizards and crafters of magic items, all dedicated to Cormyr and her Crown, while the latter was made up mostly of wizards serving alongside the Purple Dragons.

Most council mages of Cormyr are wizards, although a few sorcerers also join the Council. Very few bards find the authoritarian structure of the Council to their liking.

Today, Caladnei, the current Royal Magician, and her aides are known as the Council of Mages because they rarely fight anything directly other than rogue mages or supremely powerful threats. They are looked up to and feared by the commoners of Cormyr and accorded the utmost respect by Cormyr's War Wizards and nobility.

Requirements

To qualify to become a Council Mage of Cormyr, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:

Class Skills

The council mage's class skills are Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Knowledge (any), Profession, Search, Sense Motive, and Spellcraft.

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the council mage.

Weapons and Armor Proficiency: A council mage gains no additional proficiency in any weapons or armor.

Spells Per Day: A council mage's training focuses on magic that will aid her in her responsibilities to the Crown. Thus, when a character gains a new level of council mage, she gains new spells per day as if she had also gained a level in whatever arcane spellcasting class she belonged to before she added the prestige class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved familiar powers, for example).

If a character had more than one arcane spellcasting class before she became a council mage, she must decide to which class she adds each level of council mage for purposes of determining spells per day when she adds the new level.

Cooperative Casting (Ex): Due to their close working relationship with one another, 1st-level council mages learn how to empower their spells through teamwork. You and another willing spellcaster can simultaneously cast the same spell (at the same time in the round). You must be adjacent to one another when casting cooperatively. Add +2 to the save DC against cooperatively cast spells and +i to caster level checks to beat the target's spell resistance (if any). Use the base DC and level check of the better caster.

For each additional caster cooperating with you and casting the same spell simultaneously, the spell's save DC and caster level check both increase by +1. When more than two spellcasters cooperatively cast a spell, each must be adjacent to at least two other casters.

For example, four spellcasters (two wizards, one sorcerer, and one council mage) stand in a circle planning to cast fireball. Three of them ready an action to cast fireball when the member with the lowest initiative takes her action, also casting fireball. The base DC of the Reflex save is equal to the highest individual save DC among the cooperating casters, as determined by their relevant ability scores or other feats (such as Spell Focus), special abilities, or items. In this case, one wizard has Intelligence 18, which ties with a sorcerer's Charisma 18, so the base DC is 17 (10 + 3 for the spell level + 4 for the ability score modifier). The final save DC of the cooperatively cast fireball is 17 + 2 + 1 + 1 or 21. Whoever has the highest caster level determines the base caster level check, which gains a +4 modifier.

This ability is similar to the Cooperative Spell feat that appeared in Tome and Blood, except that it does not require all the spellcasters to have the Cooperative Spell feat or the cooperative casting ability. The benefits provided by spellcasters with the Cooperative Spell feat do not stack with the benefits of cooperative casting.

Improved Spell Acquisition: At each level of advancement in the council mage prestige class, a character gains three (instead of two) spells of her choice of any level she can cast to add to her spellbook. If the character does not use a spellbook, this ability grants no benefit.

Bonus Item Creation Feat: Council mages are the armorers of the Purple Dragons and War Wizards. At 2nd level, council mages may select a bonus item creation feat; she must still meet the prerequisites for gaining the feat.

Focused Dispel (Ex): Council mages must deal with lingering magical effects such as the Helmlands created during the Time of Troubles or even magical traps laid down centuries ago by the Witch-Lords of the Wyvernwater. Over the years, council members have developed more effective dispelling skills. At 3rd level, they may add a +2 bonus on any caster level checks made to dispel magic.

Sending Spell: At 3rd level, a council mage learns the sending spell automatically. The council mage learns this spell despite any limit on spells known, but this ability does not supersede any restrictions the character might have as a specialist wizard. If the character uses a spellbook, she may scribe the spell in the spellbook.

Council Mage Of CormyrrHit Die: d4
CLBABFortRefWillSpecialSpells per Day
1st+0+0+0+2Cooperative casting, improved spell acquisition+1 level of existing class
2nd+1+0+0+3Bonus item creation feat+1 level of existing class
3rd+1+1+1+3Focussed dispell, sending spell+1 level of existing class

Source: Dragon #307

Older Prestige class adapted to 3.5

[Back]
Realms Prestige Classes