Occultist (3.5e Class)

Author: The Dark Wad (talk) Date Created: August 23, 2012 Status: Done Editing: Clarity Edits or Fluff

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A specialized spontaneous spellcaster and practitioner of the dark arts. 10 1 Poor Poor Poor Good Spontaneous Arcane Spellcasting Other

Occultist

Occultists are spellcasters born with the ability to manipulate magic. Some spend years studying their inborn magical capacity and fine tuning their abilities, while others make magic effortlessly. The source of their powers differ from person to person, as does their specific magic capability.

Making a Occultist

Like any spellcaster, an Occultists spells are their strong point. Unlike sorcerers, occultists can keep on casting spells all day without tiring. They also gain miscellaneous abilities to augment the type of magic they have most affinity with with, ecouraging them to specialize.

Abilities: Occultists cast from either intelligence, wisdom, or charisma. Their spellcasting stat is, to no ones surprise, their most important stat. Like everyone they value constitution for the HP and dexterity for the AC.

Races: Any.

Alignment: Any.

Starting Gold: 6d4×10 gp (150 gp).

Starting Age: Moderate.

Table: The Occultist

Hit Die: d6

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Skills, Twisted by the Occult, Minor Magics, Specialization
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Arcane Specialty
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Arcane Specialty
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Twisted by the Occult
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Arcane Specialty
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	Arcane Specialty
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Arcane Specialty
Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Autohypnosis (Wis), Concentration (Con), Knowledge (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Cha).
Class Skills, Tome of Prowess Variant (6 per level, ×4 at 1st level) Arcana (Int), Concentration (Wis), Perception (Wis), Thaumaturgy (Cha).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Occultist.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Occultist are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any type of armor or shield. Armor of any type interferes with a Occultist's gestures, which can cause their spells with somatic components to fail.

Spellcasting: An Occultist uses a unique simplified arcane spellcasting mechanic. They have five spellcasting slots. An Occultist can take a full round action to prepare each available slot with a spell or to change what spells are prepared in each available slot. When they want to cast the spell they do so per the standard rules for arcane spell casting and the slot becomes unusable (cannot be cast from) for an hour. No more than three slots can hold spells of your highest level (this restriction does not apply until you gain the ability to cast 2nd level spells), although as that requirement is met a slot can hold a spell of any level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Occultist’s spell is 10 + 1/2 the Occultist's class level + the Occultist’s spellcasting modifier (see below). Your caster level is equal to your class level. You can't use metamagic.

Spells Known: The Occultist begins play knowing five spells of first level from the Sorcerer/Wizard Spell List. At each level after first they learn one new spell of level no higher than his class level divided by two (rounded down). At 3rd level and every 3 levels there after, you may replace a spell known with another of the same level.

Spellcasting Stat: At first level the Occultist chooses either intelligence, wisdom, or charisma, refer to this stat as your spellcasting stat and its modifier as your spellcasting modifier. Your save DCs are based on this, and as you level you may gain miscellaneous bonuses based on this stat.

Specialization: Unlike a Sorcerer an Occultist must specialize in a school of magic at level 1. Choose any school of magic. You gain Spell Focus in that school. One spell slot must hold a spell of that school at all times. Choose two other schools to become your prohibited schools. You can not learn or prepare spells of either of these schools. These schools must be chosen at first level and can't be .

Skills: Very few Occultists have similar priorities, and thus most have very different skill sets. Choose any five skills. These skills become class skills.

Twisted by the Occult (Su): Years of manipulating dangerous arcane energies have battered your body and twisted your soul. At first level, and again at 5th level, an occultist gains a single thematic trait chosen from the list below:

• Tomb-Tainted Soul: In addition to being healed by positive energy, you are healed by negative energy. If a spell or effect treats undead differently than living targets, you can choose to be treated as undead is it would be beneficial to you.
• Elemental Savant: Choose an elemental damage type from the following list: Fire, Cold, Sonic, Acid, Electricity. You become immune to that energy type. You gain Energy Resistance to the other listed energy types equal to your class level.
• Occult Perception: You gain Darkvision 120 ft and Blindesight 10ft.
• Voidborn: You gain Spell Resistance equal to 7 + your class level.
• Master of Minds: You gain Telepathy 100ft. You gain a +4 bonus to saves against Mind-Affecting Effects and illusions.
• Magical Defense: You gain a shield bonus to AC equal to your spellcasting modifier. Choose a saving throw (Will, Ref, or Fort), you gain your spellcasting modifier as a resistance bonus to that save.

Minor Magics (Sp): A 1st level Occultist can choose any three cantrips. This decision can never be changed once made. He can cast the chosen spells at will as Spell-Like Abilities.

Arcane Specialty: After years of experience an Occultist has learned how to manipulate certain spell effects with more affinity. At level 2 and every two levels there after a Occultist can choice one of the following abilities.

• Descriptor Specialist: Choose a spell descriptor. When casting spells with this descriptor add +2 to the DC and a +2 bonus to caster level checks to pierce SR. This does not stack with other feats or abilities that improve the DC of your spells.
• Elementalist: Choose an elemental damage type from the following list: Fire, Cold, Sonic, Acid, Electricity, Negative, Positive, Force. Every spell that does damage of that type does damage of that type from this point on is automatically empowered. If you choose positive, this also applies to healing spells.
• Counterspeller (Su): You can counterspell any spell as an immediate action, without expending a spell slot. You do not need to ready an action to do use this ability, but the spellcaster whom you are counterspelling must be within short range.
• Elemental Blast (Su): Choose an elemental damage type from the list above. As a standard action you can fire a bolt of magical energy that deals 1d6 damage per class level of that damage type to anyone you hit with a ranged touch attack within short range.
• Signature Spell (Sp): Choose a first level spell from the Sorcerer/Wizard Spell List, without xp or costly material components. When ever you cast any spell you can choose to cast the chosen spell as part of the same action. The action required to cast the spell is the longer of the two spells. If your signature spell has a range of personal or touch so must the other spell, or else you can not cast them as one action. For all intents and purposes you are treated as if you cast your signature spell before the other spell. Using this ability takes an additional swift action. Later in your career you have the option to change this spell to something more level appropriate. At 9th level and again at 15th level you can rechoose from spells up to a spell level higher (2nd at 9th and 3rd at 15th) as long as your DM rules that your choices are thematically in line with your earlier choices.
• Relaxed Caster: Your unavailable spell slots become available after 30 minutes rather than an hour.
• Telekinetic (Su): You gain an Unseen Servant with an effective strength and dexterity score equal to your spellcasting stat. It can be directed mentally as a move action (and if you so choose, after you direct it, it will move instantly to your square), has a 30ft perfect fly speed, and unlike the normal Unseen Servant it can preform complicated tasks. It uses your skill ranks if it ever needs to preform a skill check. It can not be destroyed. If it enters an antimagic field or leaves close range it reforms in your square.
• Stealthy Spell: None of your spells require somatic or verbal components to cast.
• Dark Arts: You can take a full round action, provoking attacks of opportunity, to focus your energies. The first spell you cast in your next turn is treated as being cast with a supernatural ability, bypassing SR and not provoking additional attacks of opportunity.
• Arcane Eyes (Su): You are under the effect of a constant Arcane Sight effect.
• Warmage: You gain proficiency in all simple and martial weapons as well as shields and light and medium armor. You can cast in any armor you are proficient in without arcane spell failure and can still preform somatic components even if both of your hands are full.
• Bonus Feat: You gain a bonus feat.

Campaign Information

Playing a Occultist

Religion: Religion varies from Occultist to Occultist.

Other Classes: Varies depending on campaign setting. They fit in where ever sorcerers fit in, considering that they are almost identical fluff wise (meant only to differ based on casting mechanics).

Combat: Occultists are full spellcasters and should do what full spellcasters do, which can be practically anything. They can buff, debuff, summon, blast, and do battlefield control just like the rest of them.

Advancement: The reason that this class ends after level 10 is to encourage multiclassing. No two occultists are the same and naturally they should all take prestige classes to support their specialties.

Occultists in the World

Daily Life: From healers to necromancers to war mages, there is no field or industry a properly dedicated Occultist can't excel in. They can be found anywhere, doing anything.

Notables: Varies by campaign setting.

Organizations: Varies by campaign setting. Typically factions exists for each occultist specialty, although most are not restricted to occultist and contain plenty of wizards and sorcerers.

NPC Reactions: Varies by campaign setting. Typically the same as sorcerers.

Occultist Lore

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

Knowledge Arcana

DC	Result
5	Some people have inborn magical talent. They are called Occultists.
10	Occultists are all very specialized in a certain field of magic.
15	Occultists share no similar powersource, nor similar ideology.
20	Information of a specific Occultist.

Occultist in the Game

Adaptation: Occultists fit everywhere.

Sample Encounter: To Do.

EL <- EL Number ->: To Do.

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