Spellbender (3.5e Class)

Author: Cedges (talk) Date Created: 5/24/2010 Status: Needs testing Editing: Clarity edits only please

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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: 2d4×10 gp (50 gp).

Starting Age: As rogue

Table: The Spellbender

Hit Die: d6

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special	Bending Points/Day	Maximum Bent Spell Level
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+0	+0	+2	+2	Spellbending, Spell Resistance, Bonus Feat	10	1
2nd	+1	+0	+3	+3	Bonus Feat, Extrinsic Metamagic Feat	16	1
3rd	+1	+1	+3	+3	Bonus Feat	28	2
4th	+2	+1	+4	+4	Bonus Feat, Extrinsic Metamagic Feat	40	2
5th	+2	+1	+4	+4	Bonus Feat	60	3
6th	+3	+2	+5	+5	Bonus Feat, Extrinsic Metamagic Feat	80	3
7th	+3	+2	+5	+5	Bonus Feat	108	4
8th	+4	+2	+6	+6	Bonus Feat, Extrinsic Metamagic Feat	136	4
9th	+4	+3	+6	+6	Bonus Feat,	172	5
10th	+5	+3	+7	+7	Bonus Feat, Bend Spell-like Ability	208	5
11th	+5	+3	+7	+7	Bonus Feat	252	6
12th	+6/+1	+4	+8	+8	Bonus Feat, Imbue Metamagic	296	6
13th	+6/+1	+4	+8	+8	Bonus Feat	348	7
14th	+7/+2	+4	+9	+9	Bonus Feat, Extrinsic Metamagic Feat	400	7
15th	+7/+2	+5	+9	+9	Bonus Feat	460	8
16th	+8/+3	+5	+10	+10	Bonus Feat, Extrinsic Metamagic Feat	520	8
17th	+8/+3	+5	+10	+10	Bonus Feat	588	9
18th	+9/+4	+6	+11	+11	Bonus Feat, Transfer Magic	656	9
19th	+9/+4	+6	+11	+11	Bonus Feat, Multiple Bendings	692	9
20th	+10/+5	+6	+12	+12	Bonus Feat, Bend Enchantments	728	9
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Listen (Wis) Open Lock (Dex), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (None), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Use Magic Device (Cha),

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.

Bending Points/Day: A spellbender’s ability to bend spells is limited by the bending points she has available. 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.

Maximum Bent Spell Level: This column determines the highest level spell a spell-bender can bend using her spellbending ability.

Spellbending (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:

• 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.

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.

Spell resistance: A spellbender has Spell Resistance equal to her level plus her charisma modifier. Her spell resistance gained in this way is never more than twice her level.

Bonus Feat: The spellbender acquires a bonus feat at each 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)

Extrinsic Metamagic Feat: The spellbender acquires bonus extrinsic metamagical feats at levels 2, 4, 6, 8, 14, and 16. These feats may not be used to select an ordinary metamagic feat.

Bend Spell-like Ability (Su): 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.

Imbue Metamagic (Su): 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.

Transfer Magic: (Su) From 18th level on, a spellbender may move the magical properties of an item from one item to another. 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.

Multiple Bendings: At 19th level a spellbender no longer loses her focus when she bends a spell. 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.

Bend Enchantment (Su): 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.

Extrinsic Metamagic Summary

Feat			Description	Save	Price
Absolute Extrinsic Metamagic			Choose an extrinsic metamagic feat you have that allows a saving throw. You now also have an Absolute version of that extrinsic metamagic feat. The absolute version costs twice as much, but does not allow a saving throw. You may gain this feat multiple times, each time choosing a new extrinsic metamagic feat to gain an absolute version of.	None	Special
Admit Spell			An admitted spell ignores the spell resistance of the applier.	None	0/level
Clone Spell				None	4/level
Counter Metamagic			The applier may remove metamagic feat that she knows from the spell. The price per level of countering metamagic feats is equal to the total spell slot adjustment from the metamagic feats she is removing. Treat metamagic feats with no spell slot adjustment as if the adjustment were 1/2.	None	1/slot/level
	Improved Counter Metamagic		The applier may remove any metamagic she chooses from the spell.	None	2/level
Counter Spell			The spell is countered.	Will Negates	3/level
Disguise Spell				None	1/level
Empower Spell				None	2/level
	Subjugate Spell		As empower spell, but instead the spell's variable, numeric effects are reduced by one half.	Will negates	1/level
Energy Substitution				Will Negates	1/2/level
Enlarge Spell				None	1/level
Extend Spell				None	2/level
	Abbreviate Spell		As extend spell, but instead reduces the duration of a spell by half.	Will negates	1/level
	Persistent Spell			None	6/level
Free Spell			A free spell does not consume a spell slot, charge, or use per day. If the spell was cast from a prepared spell slot the prepared spell is still prepared and ready to be cast again. If it was cast using a spontaneous spell slot, that slot is still available to cast a spell with. If the spell was cast using charges from an item the item retains the charges that would have been spent to cast it. If the spell originates from a source with limited uses per day it is cast without reducing the remaining uses/day. Free spell can not be used to modify a spell that comes from a source with uses that are renewed less frequently than daily. The cost of a free spell is five points per spell level, plus an additional one point per spell level for each slot higher than the actual spell level the slot used to cast the spell was.	None	5/level + 1/slot adjustment/level
Heighten Spell			The cost of heightening a spell, per level, is equal to the number of levels it is heightened.	None	1/level increase/level
	Lower Spell		As heighten spell, but instead the spell level is reduced by one or more levels. Must spend 2 points per level removed, or 2/level if all levels are removed	Will Negates	2/level removed or 2/level
Invert Spell			An inverted spell channels positive energy instead of negative energy, or vice versa.	Will Negates	3/level
Mass Spell				None	4/level
Maximize Spell				None	3/level
	Minimize Spell		As maximize spell, but instead reduces any variable, numeric effects to their minimum.	Will Negates	2/level
Quicken Spell				None	4/level
	Slow Spell		Increases the casting time of a spell with a casting time of one standard action to be a full round action, or increases the casting time of a spell measured in rounds by one round. If the caster cannot make a full round action this turn, on his next turn he may only take a move or standard action, not both.	Will Negates	2/level
Redirect Spell			A redirected spell is directed at different targets than those the caster originally selected. The new targets are selected by the applier. The new targets must be legal both from the point of view of the original spell caster and from that of the applier.	Will Negates	4/level
Reach Spell				None	2/level
Repeat Spell				None	3/level
Sacred Spell				Will Negates	2/level
Silent Spell			Applying silent spell never requires verbal components.	None	1/level
Still Spell			Applying still spell never requires somatic components.	None	1/level
Subdual Substitution				Will Negates	1/2/level
Widen Spell				None	3/level
	Narrow Spell		As widen spell, but instead reduces area by half.	Will negates	1/level

Gnome Spellbender Starting Package

Weapons: Shortspear

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

Skill	Ranks	Ability	Armor Check Penalty
Balance	4	Dex	0
Concentration	4	Con	—
Disable Device	4	Dex	—
Escape Artist	4	Dex	0
Listen	4	Wis	—
Sense Motive	4	Cha	—
Spellcraft	4	Int	—
Spot	4	Wis	—
Use Magic Device	4	Cha	—

Feat: Quicken Spell

Bonus Feats: Maximize Spell

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

Gold: 2d6×5 gp (35 gp).

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