Spells
A wizard casts arcane spells drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list presented in Chapter 10. A wizard must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time.
To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the wizard must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a wizard’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the wizard’s Intelligence modifier.
A wizard can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table 3–16. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligence score (see Table 1–3).
A wizard may know any number of spells. He must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep andspending 1 hour studying his spellbook. While studying, the wizard decides which spells to prepare.
This feature has been altered by the Effortless Magic feature of the Pact Wizard archetype.
Effortless Magic
Although a pact wizard still uses a spellbook to prepare his wizard spells, his close ties with his otherworldly patron allow him to do so nearly effortlessly. A pact wizard can prepare all of his spells in only 15 minutes, and his minimum preparation time is only 1 minute.
Bonus Languages
A wizard may substitute Draconic for one of the bonus languages available to the character because of his race.
Arcane Bond
At 1st level, wizards form a powerful bond with an object or a creature. This bond can take one of two forms: a familiar or a bonded object. A familiar is a magical pet that enhances the wizard’s skills and senses and can aid him in magic, while a bonded object is an item a wizard can use to cast additional spells or to serve as a magical item. Once a wizard makes this choice, it is permanent and cannot be changed. Rules for familiars appear on page 82, while rules for bonded items are given below.
Wizards who select a bonded object begin play with one at no cost. Objects that are the subject of an arcane bond must fall into one of the following categories: amulet, ring, staff, wand, or weapon. These objects are always masterwork quality. Weapons acquired at 1st level are not made of any special material. If the object is an amulet or ring, it must be worn to have effect, while staves, wands, and weapons must be held in one hand. If a wizard attempts to cast a spell without his bonded object worn or in hand, he must make a concentration check or lose the spell. The DC for this check is equal to 20 + the spell’s level. If the object is a ring or amulet, it occupies the ring or neck slot accordingly.
A bonded object can be used once per day to cast any one spell that the wizard has in his spellbook and is capable of casting, even if the spell is not prepared. This spell is treated like any other spell cast by the wizard, including casting time, duration, and other effects dependent on the wizard’s level. This spell cannot be modified by metamagic feats or other abilities. The bonded object cannot be used to cast spells from the wizard’s opposition schools (see arcane school).
A wizard can add additional magic abilities to his bonded object as if he has the required item creation feats and if he meets the level prerequisites of the feat. For example, a wizard with a bonded dagger must be at least 5th level to add magic abilities to the dagger (see the Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat in Chapter 5). If the bonded object is a wand, it loses its wand abilities when its last charge is consumed, but it is not destroyed and it retains all of its bonded object properties and can be used to craft a new wand. The magic properties of a bonded object, including any magic abilities added to the object, only function for the wizard who owns it. If a bonded object’s owner dies, or the item is replaced, the object reverts to being an ordinary masterwork item of the appropriate type.
If a bonded object is damaged, it is restored to full hit points the next time the wizard prepares his spells. If the object of an arcane bond is lost or destroyed, it can be replaced after 1 week in a special ritual that costs 200 gp per wizard level plus the cost of the masterwork item. This ritual takes 8 hours to complete. Items replaced in this way do not possess any of the additional enchantments of the previous bonded item. A wizard can designate an existing magic item as his bonded item. This functions in the same way as replacing a lost or destroyed item except that the new magic item retains its abilities while gaining the benefits and drawbacks of becoming a bonded item.
Arcane School
A wizard can choose to specialize in one school of magic, gaining additional spells and powers basedon that school. This choice must be made at 1st level, and once made, it cannot be changed. A wizard that does not select a school receives the universalist school instead.
A wizard that chooses to specialize in one school of magic must select two other schools as his opposition schools, representing knowledge sacrificed in one area of arcane lore to gain mastery in another. A wizard who prepares spells from his opposition schools must use two spell slots of that level to prepare the spell. For example, a wizard with evocation as an opposition school must expend two of his available 3rd-level spell slots to prepare a fireball. In addition, a specialist takes a –4 penalty on any skill checks made when crafting a magic item that has a spell from one of his opposition schools as a prerequisite. A universalist wizard can prepare spells from any school without restriction.
Each arcane school gives the wizard a number of school powers. In addition, specialist wizards receive an additional spell slot of each spell level he can cast, from 1st on up. Each day, a wizard can prepare a spell from his specialty school in that slot. This spell must be in the wizard’s spellbook. A wizard can select a spell modified by a metamagic feat to prepare in his school slot, but it uses up a higher-level spell slot. Wizards with the universalist school do not receive a school slot.
Cantrips
Wizards can prepare a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, each day, as noted on Table 3–16 under “Spells per Day.” These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again. A wizard can prepare a cantrip from an opposed school, but it uses up two of his available slots (see below).
Patron Spells
At 1st level, a pact wizard must select a patron. This functions like the witch class ability of the same name, except the pact wizard automatically adds his patron’s spells to his spellbook instead of to his familiar. In addition, the pact wizard can expend any prepared spell that isn’t a spell prepared using the additional spell slot the wizard receives from his arcane school in order to spontaneously cast one of his patron’s spells of the same level or lower.
Spellbooks
A wizard must study his spellbook each day to prepare his spells. He cannot prepare any spell not recorded in his spellbook, except for read magic, which all wizards can prepare from memory.
A wizard begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level wizard spells (except those from his opposed schools, if any; see Arcane Schools) plus three 1st-level spells of his choice. The wizard also selects a number of additional 1st-level spells equal to his Intelligence modifier to add to the spellbook. At each new wizard level, he gains two new spells of any spell level or levels that he can cast (based on his new wizard level) for his spellbook. At any time, a wizard can also add spells found in other wizards’ spellbooks to his own (see Chapter 9).
Great Power, Greater Expense
As a pact wizard grows in power, his choice of patron begins to affect his physical body. At 5th level, the pact wizard chooses one oracle curse, using 1/2 his character level as his effective oracle level when determining the effects of this curse. If an oracle curse would add spells to the oracle’s list of spells known, the pact wizard instead add those spells to the wizard’s spell list as well as to his spellbook. At 10th level, the pact wizard can invoke his patron’s power to roll twice and take the better result when attempting any caster level check, concentration check, initiative check, or saving throw. He can activate this ability as a free action before attempting the check, even if it isn’t his turn. He can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + 1/2 his Intelligence modifier. At 15th level, when the pact wizard invokes his patron’s power to roll twice on a check, he adds his Intelligence bonus to the result as an insight bonus. When he applies metamagic feats to any spells he learned via his patron or curse, he treats that spell’s final effective level as 1 lower (to a minimum level equal to the spell’s original level). At 20th level, whenever the pact wizard invokes his patron’s power to roll twice on a check and his result is a natural 20, he automatically succeeds, regardless of whether or not a check of that type would normally allow an automatic success.