Techno-Mage
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Techno-Mages
Requirements – An 18 or better intelligence, a 14 or better wisdom, and either another techno-mage to teach you or access to a large amount of technological information, preferably both.
Proficiencies – Techno-mages get access to the general, wizard, and technology proficiency categories. All other proficiencies cost an additional proficiency slot to purchase.
Bonus proficiencies – At 1st level all techno-mages have the bonus proficiencies, physics, mathematics, & magical engineering.
Required proficiencies– All techno-mages must spend their 1st 4 non-weapon proficiency slots gaining the electrical engineering proficiency.
Laboratory – Techno-mages require specialized equipment for designing, building, and modifying items. As a result, each time they level, they must spend 1,000 gold pieces per level, on expanding and resupplying their laboratory. This continues through 10th level, after which, the laboratory is fully stocked and only requires 1,000 gold pieces each time the techno-mage levels to maintain.
Limited magical ability – Because techno-mages focus on creating items any spells cast in the normally are treated as if the techno-mage were 1/2 his level when determining all of the spells variables, range, duration, damage, etc.
Spells – Techno-mages gain spells and spell points at the same rate as a wizard of equal level and can learn any spell normally usable by them.
Limited psionic ability – Techno mages develop a few psionic powers as they advance in level that enhance their abilities to learn and interface with technology. They gain psionic power points at half the rate of a psionicist of equal level, and have only small selection of powers that they can learn.
Psionic powers – Techno-mages generally only know the powers listed on there level progression chart. However, a techno-mage is capable of learning any clairsentient power available to a psionicist and any telepathic power that affects only the psionicist.
Replace power source – At 3rd level a techno-mage can swap out a magical power source for a technological one or a technological power source for a magical one without damaging an item or significantly changing its basic function.
Spell matrix – At 3rd level a techno-mage can design and build a spell matrix A spell matrix is a techno-mage item that is used to help them compensate for their weakened spell casting ability. Refer to the techno-mage magic item document for more information.
Bonus tech proficiency – At 4th level and every 5 level thereafter (9th, 14th, 19th, etc.) a techno-mage gain a bonus proficiency slot that must be spent on a technological proficiency.
Create techno-mage magic items – At 5th level a techno-mage can design and create items that merge magic and technology together. These items do not require the spells enchant an item or permanency to make. Instead, the circuitry laid into the item focuses and shapes the magic though the techno-mage must still be able to cast the appropriate spells that the item uses. For instance, he could not make a wand of fireballs unless he knew and could cast the fireball spell. More details about how techno-mage items function can be found in the techno-mage magic item document. Note that techno-mages of high enough level and possessing the proper spells can still create normal magic items as a mage of their level.
Power source design proficiency – At 8th level a techno-mage gets the proficiency power source design for free as a bonus proficiency.
Advanced spell matrix – At 8th level, techno-mage can create advanced spell matrix. Refer to the techno-mage magic item document for more information.
+1 bonus to all technology-based proficiency checks – At 10th level and every 10 levels thereafter a techno-mage gets a cumulative +1 bonus to any technology-based proficiency check.
Spell casting matrix/personal circuitry – At 13th level a techno mage may have circuitry grafted directly to him that allows him to “cast” any of his spells normally without being at half strength like they normally are. Refer to the techno-mage magic item document for more information.
Reinforced circuitry – At 15th level a techno-mage can design circuitry so that it can handle power surges safely. This allows magic-based techno-mage items to be able to be used more than once per round and prevents normal technological items from being fried by a power surge such as being hit by a lightning bolt.
Spell casting matrix/internal circuitry – At 18th level Same as personal circuitry but grafted within the mages body, usually directly grafted to their bones. Techno-mages with both personal circuitry and internal circuitry can also choose to ignore either the verbal component or the somatic component of a spell. Refer to the techno-mage magic item document for more information.
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Techno-Mage Item Basics
In addition to their ability to create magic items as a normal wizard, techno-mages can create techno-mage magic items that blend magic and technology together. While techno-mages can create items like this from scratch easily enough they often prefer to modify existing items, adding technology to magic items or magic to a piece of technology. This creates two separate classes of techno mage items, those based in technology and those based in magic. In either case the item typically retains its basic shape, structure, & functions but often looks and works a little differently.
Spells and effects that normally have a direct influence on magic do not always work on techno-mage magic items normally. Standard techno-mage magic items are in one of three states at any given time; active, inactive, or charged. How an item is effected depends on is state at the time.
Active - when actively being used, spells and effects that normally negate or destroy magic, short out the item causing it to fail, and rendering it unusable for one round. Spells or effects that drain magic render the item inactive and those that cause wild surges work normally.
Inactive – when an item is not in use it is for all intensive purposes non-magical and as such immune to all spells and effects that normally negate or destroy magic as well as those that drain magic or cause it to go wild.
Charged – spells and effects that normally negate or destroy magic cause the techno-mage item to lose its charge & become inactive. However, spells and effects that specifically target shaped magic such as dispel magic and mordenkainen’s disjunction have no effect, this is because the item merely holds the magical energy for use, it is not shaped and separating it out into it’s component parts simply doesn’t do anything. Spells or effects that drain magic work normally on charged items but those that cause wild surges rarely work unless it would normally affect latent magical energy.
Magic-based Techno-Mage magic items
Magic items that are modified with technology appear to be covered with circuitry. Modified magic items do not normally posses charges even if they had them before being modified; instead the item is powered directly by the wielder. In order to use a magic-based techno-mage magic item you must channel magical energy through its circuitry equal to what would normally be needed to cast the spell. The circuitry shapes the energy creating the desired effect. Anyone with enough energy can use a techno-mage magic item regardless of their class or level, though some of the more complex techno-mage items require some time to learn before they can be used properly.
Using any particular function of a magic-based techno-mage magic item requires a successful INT check with a –8 penalty. After successfully using the same function 3 times it is learned and no longer requires an INT check to use. A failed check indicates that either nothing happens or a random function takes effect (50% chance of each). If a random function occurs it does not count towards learning the functioned attempted or activated.
Characters with either the electrical engineering or magical engineering proficiencies can reduce this penalty by 2 points, or 4 if they have both. Also, if instructed in the items use by a techno-mage, the penalty is reduced by 4 points. A techno-mage that can interface with the item can learn one function per round with a successful INT check (no penalty).
Technology-based Techno-Mage magic items
Technological items that are modified with magic look almost identical to there technological counterparts, at least on the outside. Inside there are frequently several obvious changes though the nature of the change can vary greatly depending on the item modified.
A technologically based magic item is normally used the same way as its non-magical counterpart. The primary difference between the two is usually how it is reloaded or recharged, which generally requires that a character use his action channeling spell points into the item.
Spell matrixes
At 3rd level a techno-mage can design and build a spell matrix A spell matrix is a techno-mage item that is used to help them compensate for their weakened spell casting ability. Typically a spell matrix looks like a gem with magical circuitry glowing softly within it, though they can look like nearly anything, the primary requirement is only that the item is high quality and large enough to contain all of the necessary circuitry. Any techno-mage of 3rd level or higher can build a basic spell matrix.
A spell matrix contains magical circuitry for several spells that allows a techno-mage to cast these spells at their full strength rather then at half their caster level like they would normally. The base cost for a spell matrix is equal to the highest spell level is being built to contain squared * 100. Thus a spell matrix capable of containing 4th level spells would cost 1,600 gold pieces (44100). In addition, the circuitry for each spell placed within the matrix cost 100 gold pieces per spell level of the spell.
Regardless of how many spells are placed within a spell matrix, a techno-mage can never have more spell levels readied, than twice his techno-mage level at any given time. Thus a 5th level techno-mage could have up to 10 spell levels worth of spells readied in it at any given time. It requires 1 full round to ready any given spell contained by the spell matrix regardless of the spells level. Note that nothing stops the 5th level techno-mage from having multiple spell matrixes each of which can have up to 10 spell levels worth of spells readied in it at any given time.
At 8th level, techno-mage can create advanced spell matrix. These matrixes cost twice the normal cost to make but all of the spells contained within them are always accessible.
Spell casting matrixes
At 13th level a techno-mage can design and build a spell-casting matrix. A spell-casting matrix is a highly advanced form of spell matrix that allows a techno-mage to cast any spell he knows at full strength rather then at half their caster level like they would normally. In order to do this the circuitry must be grafted directly to the techno-mage requiring the cybernetic implants proficiency. If a techno-mage does not have this then he may work with someone who does but the process will take twice as long to do. Designing & building a spell-casting matrix takes about 1 month and 30,000 gold pieces to complete.
At 18th level a techno-mage can design and build an advanced spell-casting matrix that is completely internalized. This functions identically to the normal spell-casting matrix except that it is completely unnoticeable. The advantages of the advanced spell-casting matrix are only realized if a techno-mage has both the normal and advanced spell-casting matrixes. A techno-mage possessing both matrixes may cast spells faster than normal, reducing their casting time by 3, and can choose to ignore either the somatic or verbal component of any given spell if applicable. On any giving casting only one component can be ignored, never both.
An advanced spell-casting matrix is much more difficult to build. Since all of the circuitry is internal it requires a techno-mages to have both the cybernetic implants and surgery proficiencies or work with those who do. Working with others is generally advised since the techno-mage would have to perform the surgery on himself. If a techno-mage does not have one or both of these he may work with someone who does but the process will take twice as long to do. Designing & building an advanced spell-casting matrix takes about 3 months and 90,000 gold pieces to complete.
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Techno-Mage Progression
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Please Note: Still needs to be massaged into D20/3.5 format.
