Spellbender (3.5e Class)

Spellbender
A master of metamagic, the spellbender sculpts the flow of magic around her to her own will. Possessing no spellcasting abilities of her own, she modifies and enhances the spells cast by her allies and dissipates or redirects those of her enemies.

Making a Spellbender
By themselves, spellbenders are the bane of enemy mages, but are easily defeated by mundane means. When accompanying arcane or divine magic users, the spellbender becomes as powerful as her most powerful ally.

Abilities: The spellbender depends most of all on her charisma, as it determines her ability to shape the magic flowing around her to suit her desires. She needs willpower and thus wisdom to overpower her magic-wielding foes. Constitution and dexterity govern her ability to act unhindered in combat.

Races: Spellbenders come from all races, but are most prevalent in those with magical origins or heritages. A spellbender does not acquire her powers through study or practice, instead she develops and learns to understand her innate abilities.

Alignment: Any.

Starting Gold: 2d4&times;10 gp (50 gp).

Starting Age: As rogue

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the spellbender.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Spellbenders are proficient with simple and martial weapons, but are not proficient with armor. Additionally, a spellbender's spellbending abilities suffer from arcane spell failure chance when wearing any armor.

Her base daily allotment of bending points is given on Table: The Spellbender. In addition, she receives bonus bending points per day if she has a high charisma score. She receives bonus bending points based on the bonus spells she would receive if she received bonus spells related to charisma. She receives 4 points per spell level for each bonus spell slot. She does not receive bonus points for spell slots higher than her maximum bent spell level. The spellbender's bending points are replenished to her bending points/day after 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep or rest, with an additional hour of rest required each time her rest is interrupted.



 (Su): A spellbender may direct her attentions towards dominating magic and become focused. Obtaining focus is a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity and requires concentration. She loses her focus if distracted or if she takes a standard or full-round action which she doesn't spend her focus modifying.

A spellbender who is focused may direct her focus into bending spells near her by applying extrinsic metamagic that she knows to the spell. If a spellbender has a high charisma, she may combine multiple bends to the same spell in a single act of bending; she may apply a number of extrinsic metamagical feats equal to one plus her charisma modifier. Directing her focus into bending a spell is a free action that she can perform even when it is not her turn. Doing so exhausts her focus so that she is no longer focused. A spellbender may bend a spell being cast, even if it is cast from a magical item, if all of the following are met: If she attempts to bend a spell of higher level than her maximum bent spell level, the attempt to bend the spell fails and the spellbender loses bending points as if she had applied the chosen extrinsic metamagical feats to a spell of her maximum bent spell level. If she attempts to bend a spell in a manner that requires more bending points than she has remaining, the bend fails and she loses all her remaining bending points. Some extrinsic metamagic can be negated by a will save; the difficulty class for saves versus the spellbender's extrinsic metamagic is equal to 10 + the spellbender's maximum bent spell level + her wisdom modifier.
 * She must identify that a spell is being cast, though she does not need to identify the specifics of the spell being cast. She must choose the extrinsic metamagic to apply before attempting the bend. Bending without knowledge of the spell being used risks wasting bending points. Once she starts bending the spell, she gains knowledge of what spell was cast as if she had succeeded on a spellcraft check to identify the spell.
 * She must be within 30 feet of, and have line of effect to, one of the spell's casters, targets, the spell itself, the area affected by the spell, or the line of effect between any of those to bend the spell.
 * A spellbender must have a charisma of at least 10 + the target spell's level.
 * The spell being bent must be no more than her maximum bent spell level. Do not count the spell slot adjustments from metamagic feats when determining the spell's level. Some metamagic feats, such as heighten spell, change the actual level of the modified spell rather than simply requiring a higher spell slot be spent in preparing and casting it.
 * The total of the level of the spell and the points spent per level must be no more than four more than the spellbender's maximum bent spell level.
 * Directing her spellbending focus has a somatic component and is subject to arcane spell failure from wearing armor.

Her spell resistance gained in this way is never more than twice her level.

These feats must be selected from the spellbender bonus feat list, and she must meet the prerequisites for the feat.

Spellbender Bonus Feat List: Any metamagic feat, any extrinsic metamagic feat, Alertness, Agile, Improved Initiative, Improved Spell Resistance, Persuasive, Skill Focus (Any class skill)

These feats may not be used to select an ordinary metamagic feat.

 : At 10th level the spellbender learns how to bend spell-like abilities as if they were spells. Her close attunement to magic allows her to recognize that a spell is being cast even when it has no verbal or somatic components or has been disguised.

 : Beginning at 12th level a spellbender can imbue magical items with the powers of metamagic. She may permanently replace the spells in a magical item with metamagically improved versions of those spells. The enhanced spells must be able to be cast by a spell caster of her level. The value of the item increases as if the caster level of the improved spells was increased to the minimum caster level at which the enhanced spells could normally be cast. The spellbender must spend bending points as if she had applied the feats to a single instance of that spell with her Modify Spell ability. Imbuing metamagic costs 80 XP per 1000 gold pieces in the difference between the cost of the original magical item and the enhanced one. Imbuing metamagic requires uninterrupted concentration and takes one hour per 1000 gold pieces of metamagical enhancement. Imbuing may be done in one-hour increments. If interrupted a spellbender loses all progress in enhancing the magical item.

The new item must be mundane and must have the same slot restrictions as the original item. Transferring magic from one item to another takes the spellbender one hour and requires concentration. If interrupted, the magical properties are lost, and both items are reduced to being mundane.

Instead the maximum spell level she may bend is decreased by the spell's level until she restores it to her maximum bent spell level by becoming focused again.

 : At 20th level a spellbender may use her bends to modify an ongoing spell.

Extrinsic Metamagic
Extrinsic metamagic alters spells from the point of view of a third party, called the applier. Instead of requiring a slot adjustment like normal metamagic, extrinsic metamagic requires a source of Extrinsic Metamagic Points to function. Many extrinsic metamagic feats allow for saving throws. The difficulty class for these saving throws is specified in the ability that allows one to use extrinsic metamagic.

Some extrinsic metamagic users may apply multiple extrinsic metamagic feats at the same time. The combined extrinsic metamagic allows a single will save by the caster; either all of the components are applied, or only those that did not allow a save are.

Cost of Extrinsic Metamagic
Most extrinsic metamagic feats have a cost per level of the spell being modified. Treat level 0 spells as if they were 1/2 level when calculating the point costs of applying extrinsic metamagic to 0 level spells. Multiply the cost per level by the level of the spell being modified. Round up. If multiple extrinsic metamagic feats are being applied simultaneously, total their individual costs before rounding.

The cost of using extrinsic metamagic is equal to the total cost of applying all of the applied extrinsic changes.

Ordinary Metamagic as Extrinsic Metamagic
Anyone possessing an ordinary metamagic feat may use it as an extrinsic metamagic feat if she is able to use extrinsic metamagic. The price per level of the extrinsic metamagic version is equal to the difference in spell slot required to cast the spell without the regular metamagic feat applied and the spell slot required to cast it with the metamagic feat applied. If this is variable based on options, the price per level varies based on the choices made by the applier. If the metamagic feat would not require a higher level spell slot the extrinsic version of it has a price per level of 1/2. To apply the extrinsic metamagic version all requirements or restrictions on the original version must be met. Any choices that need to be made due to the feat's application, such as additional targets, are made by the applier. If applying the feat would lower the caster level of the spell or could cause something that was affected by the spell before to be less affected by it, such as an energy substitution or a reduction in range, the extrinsic version allows the spell's caster to make a will saving throw which negates the application of the feat. If the metamagic feat would increase the casting time of the spell the extrinsic version allows the spell's caster to negate the effects of the feat automatically. Otherwise the extrinsic version grants no saving throw.

Gnome Spellbender Starting Package
Weapons: Shortspear

Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 4 + Int modifier.

Feat: Quicken Spell

Bonus Feats: Maximize Spell

Gear: Backpack, Bedroll, Flint & Steel, Rations (1 day), Sack, Bullseye Lantern, 3 pints of oil

Gold: 2d6&times;5 gp (35 gp).