The Magister
The Magister is the mage chosen by the deities of magic to encourage the ever-wider use of magic in Faerûn and to promote its availability and utility.
The Magister is usually a recluse, avoiding publicity and active contact with other powerful beings in the world. This is not because the office of Magister is a curse or because the Magister threatens others, but because many mages believe the office of Magister is something that can be acquired by slaying the current Magister, and so the Magister is forced to defend herself time and again in useless spell-battles.
The Magister bears no unusual markings or anything that would indicate she is anything but a normal mage. Most people assume that one becomes the Magister by killing the current office-holder. While in the past a Magister has traditionally been unseated in combat with another mage, Azuth has taken steps to alter the selection procedure, feeling that this method is too chaotic and that far too many talented Magisters have been lost to the greed of rival spellcasters. Now the Chosen of Azuth nominates Magisters, and one of them is selected by the Lord of Spells himself to be the champion of magic.
If a Magister is slain in combat by another, rarely does Azuth now allow the challenger to assume the title. However, if an individual found and challenged a Magister to a nonlethal mageduel to prove his competence at spellcasting and his ability to locate the Magister despite her protections, Azuth would be impressed and might reward the challenger regardless of the result of the battle. Several such resourceful individuals over the centuries have become Chosen of Azuth.
Undead creatures cannot be the Magister, nor can those who are currently possessed by a divine entity. Any mage-duel involving the Magister uses the standard mageduel rules, except that outside parties cannot interfere, prevented fully from doing so by Azuth's magic.
Only one Magister exists at any time. If a Magister leaves office (whether voluntarily or by defeat in a non-lethal spell duel), she is given the option to serve the deities of magic in other ways, such as becoming a sentient magic item or being reborn as a person with a great gift for magic. Some choose to rejoin the ranks of the Chosen of Azuth.
At the time a person accepts the power of the Magister, all beings capable of casting arcane spells feel a tremor in the Weave and know that the office has changed hands, although they do not know the identity of the new Magister. Simultaneously in all temples of Mystra, Azuth, and Savras, a manifestation of the symbol of the Magister appears, which then changes to the sigil of the person who has assumed the office. The apparition fades after 10 minutes. By Mystra's decree, her clergy cannot refuse to reveal the identity of the new Magister if a suitable payment is made (typically 10,000 gp worth of magic items). The Magister cannot be refused healing or a place to rest by a temple of Azuth, Mystra, or Savras.
As a result of access to centuries of magical knowledge possessed by prior Magisters as Well as those spells maintained by the deities of magic, assume the Magister's spellbooks contain all sorcerer/wizard spells listed in the Player's Handbook and the FORGOTTEN REALMS Campaign Setting. Additionally, the Magister has available many rare spells, including those often connected with an individual mage or magical organization. The Magister shares such rare spells with others only, when given permission to do so by the spell's designer.
Creating a Magister
"Magister" is a template that can be applied to any arcane spellcaster (referred to hereafter as "the character"). It uses all the character's statistics and special abilities except as noted here. Sorcerers and specialist wizards rarely become the Magister, because each is limited in the amount and variety of magic they can learn (the sorcerer more so than the specialist wizard).
Special Qualities: The Magister retains all the special qualities of the character and gains those described below.
Arcane Generosity (Su): The Magister is charged with promoting and increasing the use of magic in the world, and so whenever she gives away a magic item she created or teaches someone a new spell, she gains XP equal to 1/2 of the XP cost of that item (treat teaching a spell as giving away a scroll of that spell). This bonus is not awarded for items or spells that destroy or feed upon magic (such as dispel magic, energy transformation field, or Mordenkainen's disjunction). Many Magisters have created a legacy for themselves by leaving caches of spellbooks or magic items where people with the potential for great magic will find them.
Spellpurge (Su). When the character becomes the Magister, all existing curses, charms, and other spells and effects placed upon her by other people are removed. The new Magister is also offered an immediate teleport to a safe place where she can remain undisturbed for up to a tenday, learning more about the duties of the Magister. A new Magister is protected by spell resistance 50 and a greater ironguard spell, although these protections fade after 1d4+3 months and nine days, respectively.
Mystra's Shield (Ex): The Magister is immune to all enchantment spells and effects and psionics, and gains +2 holy bonus on saving throws against all magical effects.
Magesight (Ex): A Magister's connection to the Weave allows her to sense wild magic or dead magic areas, spellcasting, gates, portals, and ongoing spell effects within 60 feet. These are sensed automatically without concentration, and magesight operates even when the Magister is unconscious (awakening the Magister if something new enters the range of her magesight).
Spell-Like Abilities: At will - feather fall (automatic), levitate, read magic, true seeing; 6/day - dimension door, water walk. A Magister can also cast one spell each of levels 1 through 9 as a spell-like ability once per day; these spells are selected when she takes the office and cannot be changed thereafter.
Mind Blank (Su): The Magister is constantly protected by a heightened (10th-level) mind blank.
Spell Immunities (Su): The Magister is immune to one spell each of levels 0 through 9 as if protected by a spell immunity spell. The spells are chosen when the Magister takes office and cannot be changed thereafter. She is also immune to all forms of magical writing (such as glyph of warding, explosive runes, sepia snake sigil, and symbol), and her presence does not trigger their effects.
Magister's Step (Su): The Magister can step through any magical barrier of 6th level or lower as if it did not exist. This does not destroy the barrier; the Magister simply passes through it.
Spell Focus (Su): The Magister casts all spells as if she had the Spell Focus feat for all schools.
Imbuement (Sp): As imbue with spell ability, except that the Magister can imbue a target with any spell she has prepared (or knows, if a sorcerer). This ability permanently costs the Magister 1 hit point each time it is used.
Name Attunement (Su): The Magister can hear her name or the title of the Magister spoken anywhere in the world, plus the next nine words spoken after it. She also gains an idea of the direction and distance of the speaker. Treat this. ability as a 9th-level divination effect.
The Magister's Sigil (Su): The Magister, like almost all powerful mages, has her own personal sigil, but can use the sigil of the Magister as well. Any other creature that writes the sigil of the Magister in a permanent manner (as opposed to tracing it in the air or on sand) must make two Will saves (DC 25 each) to negate a blindness and feeblemind (respectively) that last for ten days.
Rapid Preparation (Su): The Magister only needs 10 minutes to prepare spells instead of an hour.
Spell Resistance: 20.
Skills: Because she can mentally draw upon a link to an archive of knowledge maintained by the deities of magic, the Magister gets a +10 circumstance bonus on all Knowledge (arcana) and Spellcraft checks.
Climate/Terrain: Same as the character.
Organization: Same as the character.
Challenge Rating: Same as the character +4. The Magister is a powerful opponent backed by the magic of several deities.
Treasure: Same as the character.
Alignment: Same as the character.
Advancement: Same as the character.
Magister: Talatha Vaerovree.