User:TK-Squared/MudBox/Cryomancer (3.5e Prestige Class)

Cryomancer
"The frozen wastelands were my home, now I endeavour to freeze the world, so they may feel the pain of my ancestors."

The Cryomancer is a caster who has a strong connection to the frozen colds of the ice deserts, they become great conduits for the elemental plane of ice and cold. By channeling this frozen power, they wreak havok with powerful spells of cold. The Cryomancer is an elemental specialist and fully capable of spellcasting abilities beyond the norm in her chosen element.

Becoming a Cryomancer
The Cryomancer represents more power from cold spells. Their true power is from using Energy Substitution to change any damage delaing spell they know into a cold spell, allowing synergy from their ability to enhance cold spells.

Class Features
The Cryomancer mixes her magic with cold and ice, creating powerful cold spells to devastate opponents. All of the following are class features of the Cryomancer.

She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If she had more than one arcane spellcasting class before becoming a Cryomancer, she must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.

 (Su): The Cryomancer can manipulate the water in the air, lowering the temperature around herself and even causing freezing around the her general area. At first level, the Cryomancer can touch the ground and literally freeze it. As a standard action, the Cryomancer can create a thin layer of ice on a number of squares out to a radius of 5ft per Cryomancer level, center on herself. The ice lasts for 1 round per Cryomancer level. Moving on ice is similar to moving on a grease spell. The reflex save is as though a level 1 cold spell. The Cryomancer can walk on the ice as normal.

 (Su): The Cryomancer draws in cold from the surronding area, the chilling cold protecting her body from attacks. At first level, the Cryomancer gains a natural armor bonus equal to her Cryomancer level. She is also under a constant endure elements effect.

 (Ex): The Cryomancer's power over frost only grows due to her focus. At second level, she casts any spell with the [Cold] descriptor with a bonus to her caster level equal to half her Cryomancer level (rounded down).

 (Ex): The Cryomancer's mastery of the cold is unmatched, learning the secrets of the tundra and the wastelands. At third level, any spell with the [Cold] descriptor that allows a saving throw gains a +1 bonus to the DC per three Cryomancer levels (rounded down).

 (Ex): The Cryomancer is a master of the art of the frozen and confers these powers of the cold onto her summons. At fourth level, whenever summoning a monster through a summon monster , the monster gains the Cold subtype and the spell gains the [Cold] descriptor. If raising an undead, the undead gains the Rimebound Fallen template.

 (Ex): The Cryomancer ascends from her regular state of being into a frozen like state. At fifth level, she gains the Cold subtype. Her unarmed attacks deal +1d8 cold damage and attacks made against her using unarmed strikes or natural weapons cause the attacker to take 1d4 cold damage. Also, any spell with the [Cold] descriptor has no caster level limit.

 (Su): The Cryomancer is a lightning rod for the cold. She can manipulate the cold around her to build up an attack similiar to those of the mighty White Dragons of the frozen north. At sixth level, she gains a breath weapon that deals 1d6/2 caster levels in cold damage in a 30ft burst, usable as standard action. This is treated as a level 6 spell with the [cold] descriptor. Once used, she can't use this for another 1d4 rounds.

 (Ex): The Cryomancer has mastered cold spells. They submit to her will and metamagic is easily applied; much easier than normal spells. At seventh level, metamagic feats applied to spells with the [cold] descriptor have their cost reduced by 1, to a minimum of 0.

 (Su): The Cryomancer's mastery of the frozen tundra allows her spells to bestow freezing on those hurt by her spells. At eigth level, anyone damaged by one of the Cryomancer's spell that has the [Cold] descriptor must make a Will save (DC calculated as normal for the spell) or be slowed for a number of rounds equal to the Cryomancer's class level.

 (Su): The Cryomancer transcends normal cold and becomes capable of manipulating the Uttercold, a form of frost that is supernaturally cold and devestating to even those capable of resisting the effects of the cold. At ninth level, the Cryomancer can change any cold damage into Uttercold damage. Half the damage dealt is cold damage (that ignores the first 10 points of cold resistance) and the other ignores cold resistance and immunity.

 (Su): The Cryomancer ascends past the frozen tundra and becomes a conduit for the Plane of Cold. At 10th level, she is healed by cold damage and has no vulnerability to fire damage. Her Ice Armor gains the Chill Shield version of fire shield as a continuous effect.

Playing a Cryomancer
Combat: The Cryomancer is, first and foremost, a caster. Although their Ice Armor ability provides some defense, their party members provide a better defense as a body wall instead. Their damaging spells are either area of effect of targetted spells, normally converted into cold spells, that lets her to increase their power using her Frostfell and Frozen Death abilities. Combat control is a must for a Cryomancer, using their spells to create pockets of enemies and summons (with the Cold subtype thanks to Chilling Conjuration) to cause area of effect spells that damage enemies. When reaching sixth level, the Cryomancer can use their breath weapon in place of spells (as to conserve their power) and at seventh, the use of metamagic feats to boost power from their cold spells is a must. Their Cold Snap power is useful for keeping enemies moving slowly across the floor, but has the unfortunate backfire of effecting the Cryomancer's allies.

Advancement: A Cryomancer will generally advance in another prestige class that increases the power of their spells and possibly one that focuses still on the cold powers that they have gained from their levels in Cryomancer. Archmage is a good choice for altering the shape of spells (with Mastery of Shaping) or increasing the caster levels of spells even further.

Resources: Cryomancers are specialized wizards and can support on the resources that any wizarding community can offer. They are often from the frozen lands and ice deserts that always exist somewhere, and these places can offer a Cryomancer shelter or things that may be of help.

Cryomancers in the World
"It was like the frozen tundra submitted wholly to her will; it didn't object and it only lived to satisfy her needs."

Cryomancers usually come from frozen lands, learning to control the cold around them and then manipulating it to even more powerful extremes. They are wizard and sorcerers alike who specialize in the art of manipulating the cold and frozen wastes, learning how to focus it's power arcane energy into potent and devestating spells.

NPC Reactions: Cryomancers are often quite recognizable, by their cold exterior and sometimes they have blue skin from their frozen body. Their ability to freeze and manipulate the cold is well known as spectacular in it's power and their ability to command the ice is a trait that awes common folk.

Cryomancer Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) can research Cryomancers to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Cryomancer in the Game
Cryomancers are casters from frozen wastelands, generally, and they can often be seen as quite eccentric from a view of their cold-like fetish. A Cryomancer can easily fill the slot of a maniacal wizard out to conquer the world or freeze it over, using cold minions and blasting her opponents. They can also be helpful wizards in a cold climate, guides through frozen tundras and such.

Adaptation: As just another prestige class for Wizard, Cryomancers are easily be slotted into the world, as villians or helpful aids.

Sample Encounter: Kirina the Frozen Mad is a crazed Cryomancer from the frozen wastelands, obsessed with the idea that she's trying to save the world by freezing it and creating an Age of Ice. The party has infiltrated her ice fortress and are ready for battle.

EL 17: Kirina the Frozen Mad