Multiclassed Elves

The Quintessential Elf II

Author	Shannon Kalvar
Publisher	Mongoose Publishing
Publish date	2004
OGL Section 15	qelfii

The material below is designated as Open Game Content

Elves embody so many mythic archetypes that they almost seem forced to multiclass. We can easily conjure up images of elven fighter’s slinging spells on the battleground, or of nearly divine spellcasters weaving magic into the fabric of the woods. Archers, swordsmen, singers, dancers; every elf seems able to embody so many different abilities that it becomes impossible to fit them into any single class.

Wizard (being elves’ favoured class) seems like the most obvious option when an elf starts to look around for additional abilities. However other, equally viable, options do exist. Unlike humans though, an elf must be very careful in how he approaches multiclassing. If he is not careful he can quickly end up far behind his fellow adventurers, struggling to make up experience lost to imbalanced levels.

From barbaric archers to mysterious seers, and on to foppish nobles with nothing better to do with their time, the multiclass options listed below provide us with a brief look into possible elven character builds. These examples should serve as a springboard for further development.

Base Bonus Progression

Multiclassing can get tricky after a few levels because the class tables indicate a total bonus for > each level, listing the accumulated total. To mix and match this chapter’s advancement tables use > the information below, listing by what amount the base bonus progresses at any given level, > depending on class.
Base Attack Bonus Base Save Bonus
Level Good (Bbn, Ftr, Pal, Rgr) Average (Brd, Clr, Drd, Mnk, Rog) Bad (Sor, Wiz) Good Bad
1st +1 +0 +0 +2 +0
2nd +1 +1 +1 +1 +0
3rd +1 +1 +0 +0 +1
4th +1 +1 +1 +1 +0
5th +1 +0 +0 +0 +0
6th +1 +1 +1 +1 +1
7th +1 +1 +0 +0 +0
8th +1 +1 +1 +1 +0
9th +1 +0 +0 +0 +1
10th +1 +1 +1 +1 +0
11th +1 +1 +0 +0 +0
12th +1 +1 +1 +1 +1
13th +1 +0 +0 +0 +0
14th +1 +1 +1 +1 +0
15th +1 +1 +0 +0 +1
16th +1 +1 +1 +1 +0
17th +1 +0 +0 +0 +0
18th +1 +1 +1 +1 +1
19th +1 +1 +0 +0 +0
20th +1 +1 +1 +1 +0

Prestige Classes

One of the advantages of multiclassing is that the character may meet the prerequisites of the more exotic prestige classes. A character can break off the suggested progression or take a slightly different one in order to meet the requirements for a prestige class and then continue with his career along those lines. Many of these classes give far greater advantages than simple multiclassing as they combine different abilities into a single class level so the Games Master has the final word about what prestige classes exist in his campaign.

Epic Advancement

Note that the tables presented in this chapter are not for a complete character class, but a combination of two. A character can reach epic levels once he gains his 21st level from either class and is subject to the usual rules for epic characters, although they continue gaining the abilities in their appropriate class table until they reach 20th level in either class. Spellcasting elves continue to gain spells per day and spells known accordingly and may not purchase epic feats that demand that he be able to cast spells from the spellcasting class’ maximum level because he has not reached the spellcasting class’ maximum.

Variant Rules

Each of the multiclass descriptions given below have a section marked as variant rules. This deals with optional, specialised rules that represent how a character following multiple paths can develop abilities pertinent to both, but that are not normally represented. Some of these variant rules are simply a crossing of class skills, enabling the elf to choose from a wider range of skills. Others grant entirely new abilities that develop as the two classes combine. However, there are a number of limitations that must be obeyed:

All are subject to the Games Master’s approval before being chosen.

Each variant rule starts with the line ‘Upon gaining X level’. These variant abilities take the place of character class abilities that the character would otherwise gain at the specified class level. The ability description lists the appropriate substitution. An elf may take this variant after the given level, but only if he is still able to sacrifice the necessary ability, power or skills required to gain the variant rule.

The character must be an elf. Those possessing elven blood may also select these variants, but only if they were raised at least partially in an elven environment and still regularly associate with elven ways of life, as these abilities are due to upbringing, training and racial talent. At the Games Master’s discretion, non-elven races may choose these variants but only if they have been raised exclusively in an elven environment and continue to associate with elven ways of life.

In addition, the character must have at least one level in each class. Occasionally more levels are needed in both classes; this will be specified in the text. Once a variant rule has been taken, it cannot be reversed later on. The ability, power or skills sacrificed to gain the variant rule is lost forever.

Bright Blade (Enchanter/Fighter)

Legends tell of elven knights who lift blades against the primeval darkness. People speak of them as if they were a separate kind of being, creatures far removed from the standard elven model. These elves are fierce in war, unafraid of standing toe-to-toe with the mightiest of enemies. They fight with grace, skill and spell against foes whose very gaze would freeze the blood of a mortal man.

The elven knights of legend do indeed walk the fields we know. They wield bright blades against dark things. They lift up their voices to the heavens and cry out defiance against the night. But they are not something alien to the elven people. In truth, they come from among those elves that refuse to leave mortals to their fate. They take up arms where other elves refuse to, believing that only by standing together can the world’s races finally know true peace.

A bright blade studies equal parts magical and martial arts, always seeking to refine his knowledge of both. Although not as adept at either as a specialist, he makes up for his lack of focus with amazing flexibility and the will to endure.

Strengths

A bright blade gains a number of benefits from combining his wizard and fighter training. These include:

Base Attack Bonus: Although not as strong as a pure fighter, a bright blade is still an able combatant with both blade and bow.

Bonus Feats: Both the fighter and the wizard class gain a number of bonus feats as the character progresses. These bonus feats can greatly enhance the character’s magical and martial arts.

Enchantment Specialist: The bright blade gains bonus spells per day thanks to his specialisation in the Enchantment school. While this is offset by his prohibited schools, his concentration on Enchantment should serve him in good stead within his role.

Familiar: The character gains access to a familiar early on. Without any additional help the familiar gives the character a steadfast ally and assistant. With some of the additions available (both in general d20 literature and this book) it can become a mount, a friend or even an equal.

Saving Throws: Fighters have a favourable progression in Fortitude saving throws. Wizards have a favourable progression in Will saving throws. This gives the character strong resistance to anything that would alter his path, or cause him to fall ill.

Varied Abilities: When a wizard runs out of spells there is very little he can do. When no enemies present themselves, fighters usually spend their time sharpening their weapons. A bright blade combines the best of both worlds; he can fight when foes offer themselves to his blade and use the arts of magic to provide utility in other situations.

Weaknesses

Bright blades suffer from a number of weaknesses. These do not cripple the character but he should be aware of them before he starts out. They include:

Abilities: As a fighter/wizard the character has four key abilities; Strength, Dexterity, Constitution and Intelligence. In any allocated ability score creation system the Player will have to make a series of hard choices about how to build his character. In order to achieve the highest levels of versatility the character will need an Intelligence of at least 15, with a higher score yielding more utility over time.

Arcane Spellcasting: Unlike many of the options listed here, a bright blade relies solely on arcane power to weave magic. This limits the kind of armour he can wear, or forces him to invest in expensive mithril items. In either case the character will have to carefully weigh his need for physical protection against his need to cast spells.

Prohibited Schools: As a specialist in the school of Enchantment the bright blade must select two other schools of magic to ignore. Necromancy presents an obvious first choice but the second poses a problem. Whatever choice he makes the elf will have to give up a handful of useful spells. If the character goes with more conventional combat tactics he might consider the Conjuration school. However, if he takes up the art of mounted combat he would probably be best off letting go of Abjuration instead

Hit Dice: Wizards roll a d4 for hit points every level rather than the far more robust fighter d10. Combine this with an elf’s naturally low Constitution and the character may not have enough hit points to perform the functions of a front line fighter.

Limited Skills: Both fighters and wizards gain two skill points per level and their skill lists also represent two radically divergent paths. The character’s high Intelligence will help to offset this limitation.

The Bright Blade (Enchanter/Fighter)

Level	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special

1st Ftr 1 +1 +2 +0 +0 Bonus feat (fighter), (character feat)
2nd Ftr 2 +2 +3 +0 +0 Bonus feat (fighter)
3rd Wiz 1 +2 +3 +0 +2 Scribe Scroll, summon familiar, (character feat)
4th Ftr 3 +3 +3 +1 +3 (ability increase)
5th Wiz 2 +4 +3 +1 +4
6th Ftr 4 +5 +4 +1 +4 Bonus feat (fighter), (character feat)
7th Wiz 3 +5 +5 +2 +4
8th Wiz 4 +6 +5 +2 +5 (ability increase)
9th Wiz 5 +6 +5 +2 +5 Bonus feat (wizard), (character feat)
10th Ftr 5 +7 +5 +2 +5
11th Wiz 6 +8 +6 +3 +6
12th Ftr 6 +9 +7 +4 +7 Bonus feat (fighter), (character feat), (ability increase)
13th Wiz 7 +9 +7 +4 +7
14th Ftr 7 +10 +7 +4 +7
15th Ftr 8 +11 +8 +4 +7 Bonus feat (fighter), (character feat)
16th Wiz 8 +12 +8 +4 +8 (ability increase)
17th Wiz 9 +12 +9 +5 +8
18th Wiz 10 +13 +9 +5 +9 Bonus feat (wizard), (character feat)
19th Ftr 9 +14 +9 +6 +10
20th Ftr 10 +15 +10 +6 +10 Bonus feat (fighter), (ability increase)

Recommended Options

As the character combines fighter and wizard levels, there are some options he can take to optimise the mixture of both classes’ abilities.

Although we associate elves most often with skirmishing tactics, bright blades would be well advised to consider the virtues of mounted combat. The feats are readily available, provide the character with a high level of mobility and help to compensate for his lack of hit points. By 2nd level a bright blade could have either Mounted Combat, Mounted Archery and Ride by Attack or Mounted Combat, Ride by Attack and Spirited Charge.

The character should make it a priority to acquire mithril or otherwise ‘spell friendly’ armour as early as possible. Although an expensive investment, the protection and additional Dexterity bonus possible through such equipment will more than pay off in the long run.

Potions and wondrous items should form the backbone of the character’s arsenal. As a spellcaster and fighter the bright blade needs ready access to augmentation magic just to keep up with the more specialised folk. Single use magical ‘tokens’ and potions both help to fulfil this need without a large investment of XP.

Combat Casting and Concentration ranks are a must, as the bright blade will most definitely be in the midst of battle when he needs to cast a spell. Still Spell is just as useful to keep wielding weapons and shields while casting spells with somatic components. The Extend Spell feat is also useful for increasing the time that enhancement spells will last.

Recommended prepared spells (for a 10th level wizard): 0 level – acid splash, daze, detect magic, message: 1st level – charm person, comprehend languages, mage armour, magic missile (x2), shocking grasp; 2nd level – bear’s endurance (x2), mirror image, see invisibility, hideous laughter; 3rd level – arcane sight, hold person, suggestion, greater magic weapon; 4th level – crushing despair, lesser geas, shout, wall of fire; 5th level – dominate person, hold monster, mind fog.

Bright Blade Spells

Level Caster Level Spells per Day
0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
1st — — — — — — —
2nd — — — — — — —
3rd 1st 3+1 1+1 — — — —
4th 1st 3+1 1+1 — — — —
5th 2nd 4+1 2+1 — — — —
6th 2nd 4+1 2+1 — — — —
7th 3rd 4+1 2+1 1+1 — — —
8th 4th 4+1 3+1 2+1 — — —
9th 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 — —
10th 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 — —
11th 6th 4+1 3+1 3+1 2+1 — —
12th 6th 4+1 3+1 3+1 2+1 — —
13th 7th 4+1 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 —
14th 7th 4+1 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 —
15th 7th 4+1 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 —
16th 8th 4+1 4+1 3+1 3+1 2+1 —
17th 9th 4+1 4+1 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
18th 10th 4+1 4+1 4+1 3+1 3+1 2+1
19th 10th 4+1 4+1 4+1 3+1 3+1 2+1
20th 10th 4+1 4+1 4+1 3+1 3+1 2+1

Variant Rules

In order to represent his special training the bright blade may choose the following options rather than the normal abilities available to a fighter or wizard.

Spirit Steed (Su): Upon gaining 3rd wizard level, the bright blade can elect to take Spirit Steed. This effectively sacrifices the wizard’s summon familiar class feature, which will cause him to lose any familiar he currently has. Spirit Steed allows the character to call a mount equal to that created by a mount spell cast by a wizard with a caster level equal to the bright blade’s character level. At 8th wizard level this ability improves, calling a mount equivalent to that summoned by the phantom steed spell instead. This mount appears as a white horse with a golden mane and emerald or sapphire eyes. Summoning the mount is always a free action, but it can only be summoned for a total number of hours per day equal to the elf’s wizard level. If the bright blade has the Mounted Combat feat, the spirit steed is a light warhorse instead of a light horse and will fight if the elf so commands. While summoned, the mount gains all the special abilities of a familiar (though the wizard is treated as two levels lower when determining its abilities).

Compelling Gaze (Sp): Upon gaining 4th fighter level, the bright blade can elect to take Compelling Gaze instead of the bonus feat normally gained at this level. He may channel stored spell energy to cast the following spells spontaneously; 1st level – charm person, 2nd level – eagle’s splendour, 3rd level – hold person. When he channels the spell energy, he may sacrifice any prepared spell of equal or greater level in order to cast the spontaneous spell instead. The character must have the spell in his spellbook in order to spontaneously cast it.

Blade Of Light (Su): Upon gaining 5th wizard level, the bright blade can elect to take Blade Of Light instead of the bonus feat normally gained at this level. Blade of Light allows the character to channel stored spell energy into his weapon as a free action, sacrificing the spell but gaining a powerful enchantment in return. For a number of rounds equal to the level of the spell channelled, the weapon gains an enhancement bonus equal to the elf’s Intelligence modifier. 0 level spells may not be channelled in this manner. Ranged weapons enhanced in this manner bestow the enchantment upon their ammunition.

Forest Shadow (Barbarian/Ranger)

Moving though the forests, immortal and wise, the elves learn more of war than men could guess. They know the bitter taste of blood. They see the violence wrought on their world by mortals who will not live to see the consequences. In time this learning builds white-hot rage within them. Many a mortal rocks back in shock when he realises that the normally calm elves can feel such violent passion.

The forest shadow lives with this rage every day. He starts out life as a ranger, protecting the ancient lands from the growing darkness. As he gains experience the rage grows until it one day comes out in a massive, cataclysmic burst. Ever after he struggles with the anger in his heart while continuing to study the ways of nature.

Even in a rage the forest shadow fights like an elf, not a man. He has the cool confidence of thousands of years of martial tradition to support him. A forest shadow fights using speed, manoeuvrability and rapidly changing tactics rather than just wading into the middle of a fight.

Strengths

A forest shadow gains several benefits from combining both the barbarian and the ranger classes. This unlikely combination actually works quite well together, giving a wide range of skills while bolstering the ranger’s otherwise weak hit points.

Base Attack: Both the barbarian and the ranger have a strong base attack bonus progression, allowing the character access to multiple attacks at the earliest possible time. He should be able to fight as well as a pure classed barbarian or ranger, with a greater spread of abilities and out of combat utility.

Hit Die: By combining the d8 of the ranger with the d12 of the barbarian the forest shadow develops enough hit points to absorb considerable damage. Although not as tough as a pure barbarian he still has sufficient staying power for most conflicts.

Rage: An elf’s natural dexterity helps to offset the
Armour Class penalty associated with raging, and completely offsets the fatigue penalty to Dexterity incurred after raging. The Strength and Constitution bonuses from rage help to offset elf’s natural frailty.

Rapid Movement: By combining a barbarian’s knack for rapid movement with a handful of feats, the ranger quickly becomes a very powerful skirmisher.

Saving Throws: Rangers have a favourable progression in both Fortitude and Reflexes. When combined with the barbarian’s favourable Fortitude progression this makes for a remarkably tough character who still has some weakness against events requiring Will saves.

Skills: Forest shadows start as rangers, gaining the benefit of ranger’s high skill points and large selection of class skills early on. When gaining barbarian levels, the elf may continue to advance in key skills (Listen and Survival) or focus for a while on Intimidate and physical skills such as Jump and Climb.

Weaknesses

The forest shadow does not achieve the highest level of skill in either the barbarian or ranger classes. He also gains the weakness of both classes, as detailed below:

Abilities: Rangers require a wide spread of ability scores to function well. They need high scores in at least Strength, Constitution and Dexterity. Their Wisdom and Intelligence also need to be fairly high to take advantage of some of their special abilities (including spellcasting).

Armour Restrictions: Barbarians can wear up to medium armour without losing any of their abilities but rangers lose their combat style ability when they wear anything heavier than light armour. Thus the forest shadow will typically wear nothing heavier than studded leather armour. This reduces his protection during fights but does free up encumbrance for more useful kit.

Limited Damage Resistance: One of the barbarian’s key abilities, damage reduction, does not achieve respectable levels until extremely high levels.

Off Balance Progression into Epics: In order to get Greater Rage at 20th level the forest shadow comes ‘off balance’ in his progression. This will limit his advancement into epic levels, although he can easily fix the problem at 21st level.

Weak Companion: The dual classed nature of the forest shadow means that his animal companion will always be weaker than if had concentrated on his development as a ranger.

The Forest Shadow (Barbarian/Ranger)

Level	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special

1st Rgr 1 +1 +2 +2 +0 1st favoured enemy, Track, wild empathy, (character feat)
2nd Rgr 2 +2 +3 +3 +0 Combat style
3rd Bbn 1 +3 +5 +3 +0 Fast movement, rage 1/day, (character feat)
4th Bbn 2 +4 +6 +3 +0 Uncanny dodge, (ability increase)
5th Rgr 3 +5 +6 +3 +1 Endurance
6th Bbn 3 +6/+1 +6 +4 +2 Trap sense +1, (character feat)
7th Bbn 4 +7/+2 +7 +4 +2 Rage 2/day
8th Rgr 4 +8/+3 +8 +5 +2 Spells, animal companion, (ability increase)
9th Bbn 5 +9/+4 +8 +5 +2 Improved uncanny dodge, (character feat)
10th Rgr 5 +10/+5 +8 +5 +2 2nd favoured enemy
11th Rgr 6 +11/+6/+1 +9 +6 +3 Improved combat style
12th Bbn 6 +12/+7/+2 +10 +7 +4 Trap sense +2, (character feat), (ability increase)
13th Bbn 7 +13/+8/+3 +10 +7 +4 Damage reduction 1/–
14th Rgr 7 +14/+9/+4 +10 +7 +4 Woodland stride
15th Bbn 8 +15/+10/+5 +11 +7 +4 Rage 3/day, (character feat)
16th Rgr 8 +16/+11/+6/+1 +12 +8 +4 Swift tracker, (ability increase)
17th Rgr 9 +17/+12/+7/+2 +12 +8 +5 Evasion
18th Bbn 9 +18/+13/+8/+3 +12 +9 +6 Trap sense +3, (character feat)
19th Bbn 10 +19/+14/+9/+4 +13 +9 +6 Damage reduction 2/–
20th Bbn 11 +20/+15/+10/+5 +13 +9 +6 Greater rage, (ability increase)

Recommended Options

As the character combines barbarian and ranger levels, there are some options he can take to optimise the mixture of both classes’ abilities.

This character really has two choices; develop into a whirling dervish of death using a combination of rage and the Two-Weapon Fighting combat style, or use these combat style feats to give himself a wider range of abilities, combining solid melee feats with Rapid Shot, Manyshot and Improved Precise Shot.

A character with a wide array of combat skills should take Quick Draw as his first or second feat. This will help him to switch quickly from ranged to armed combat and back again as the situation changes.

After picking up a level of barbarian the character should get a mighty composite bow built with a damage bonus at least +2 higher than he can normally use. This allows him to get the full benefit out of his rage-inspired archery.

With the proper skills, a forest shadow serves the role of both a front line fighter and a scout. When advancing as a ranger he should focus on skills like Hide, Move Silently, Listen and Survival. As a barbarian he should focus on Intimidate, Climb and Listen. Over time, this progression gives him remarkable hearing while also maintaining a handful of useful skills.

Forest Shadow Spells

Level Caster Level Spells per Day
1st 2nd
1st — — —
2nd — — —
3rd — — —
4th — — —
5th — — —
6th — — —
7th — — —
8th 2nd 0 —
9th 2nd 0 —
10th 2nd 1 —
11th 3rd 1 —
12th 3rd 1 —
13th 3rd 1 —
14th 3rd 1 —
15th 3rd 1 —
16th 4th 1 0
17th 4th 1 0
18th 4th 1 0
19th 4th 1 0
20th 4th 1 0

Variant Rules

In order to represent his special training the forest shadow may choose the following options rather than the normal abilities available to a barbarian/ranger.

Eagle Eyes (Ex): Upon gaining 3rd barbarian level, the forest shadow can elect to take Eagle Eyes instead of the trap sense class feature normally gained at this level. Eagle Eyes grants the forest shadow a +1 competence bonus to all attack rolls with ranged weapons. This bonus increases by +1 for every barbarian level that the elf takes which grants an increase to the trap sense class feature.

Heart Of Nature (Ex): Upon gaining 4th ranger level, the forest shadow can elect to take Heart Of Nature instead of the ability to cast a limited number of divine spells, as well as gaining an animal companion. However, the elf’s split focus means that he will never be able to cast many spells and his companion will always be extremely weak. By selecting Heart of Nature the forest shadow permanently gives up his ranger-derived spellcasting abilities to strengthen his companion. When determining his animal companion’s abilities, the forest shadow uses his full ranger level rather than one half of his ranger level.

Nimble Rage (Ex): Upon gaining 5th ranger level, the forest shadow can elect to take Nimble Rage instead of the second favoured enemy normally gained at this level. Nimble Rage grants the character a bonus (equal to half the increase granted to Strength and Constitution) to his Reflex saves when he rages. The character may elect to take this variant a second time (at 10th ranger level for instance) and in this case the bonus to Reflex saves increases to become equal to the Strength and Constitution bonuses. Nimble Rage may not be taken a third time.

Shadow Stalking (Ex): Upon gaining 2nd barbarian level, the forest shadow can elect to take Shadow Stalking instead of the uncanny dodge class feature normally gained at this level. Although quite useful, some forest shadows forgo quick reactions in favour of honing their hunting techniques. This ability gives the character a +2 racial bonus to Hide and Move Silently skill checks made in shadowy conditions. Should the character later gain improved uncanny dodge from the barbarian class, he will instead increase the bonuses to +4.

Shadow Style (Ex): Upon gaining 6th ranger level, the forest shadow can elect to take Shadow Style instead of the improved combat style class feature. This represents his intense training in the ways of elven combat. A character that selects this style and previously selected the two-weapon style gains the Spring Attack feat. If the character instead selected the archery style he gains the Shot on the Run feat. These are gained even if the elf does not meet the normal prerequisites for these feats, but may not be used when the character is wearing medium or heavier armour. The character will advance normally in his originally chosen combat style once he reaches 11th ranger level.

Guardian (Paladin/ Abjurer)

The elves’ twilight world is not protected by strength of magic alone. Brave hearts are needed as well, elves who will sacrifice everything for the common good. They must be bold, blessed by the gods themselves and willing to lay down their lives for their fellows. Such elves become guardians, mastering the arts of war and magic in the defence of their homelands.

Guardians start off life as paladins, blessed by the elven gods in the pursuit of their duties. They may not serve the elven temples but all live within the confines of an elven community. There they practice their arts, leading the people in times of war and practising in times of plentiful peace. Despite this intense training they recognise that no matter how swift the sword there will come a time when mortal weapons are of no more use. They therefore eventually turn away from martial training for the most esoteric practices of elven magic.

Strengths

A guardian gains a wide array of benefits from combining the arts of both paladins and abjurers. The following list describes some of these advantages:

Abjuration Specialist: The guardian gains bonus spells per day thanks to his specialisation in the Abjuration school. This school of magic is the cornerstone of the guardian’s effectiveness as a defender.

Base Attack Bonus: The character’s first six levels spent as a paladin give him good combat skills to start off with. Although his bonuses will not keep up with those of more focussed fighters in later levels, he remains a formidable combatant up to 13th or 14th level, at which time his magic becomes more effective.

Mount: Even a low level paladin’s mount is a considerable asset. If the character takes feats like Mounted Combat and Spirited Charge he may apply considerable leverage to this asset through many levels of advancement.

Paladin Abilities: By 6th level the character has acquired the majority of his paladin abilities. Divine health and aura of courage both provide him with important resistances while divine grace bolsters his otherwise unimpressive saving throws.

Weaknesses

A guardian’s split training as both warriors and wizards forces them to make several compromises that others of their kind do not have to make. These compromises include:

Abilities: As a paladin/wizard the character relies on all six abilities for his various class functions: In any allocated ability score creation system the Player will have to make a series of hard choices about how to build his character. In order to achieve the highest levels of versatility the character will need an Intelligence of at least 17, with a higher score yielding more utility over time. The character should focus on Charisma, Dexterity and Intelligence in that order, leaving Wisdom for last. Loss of paladin spells will not greatly weaken the character. Also consider that while the character will be hampered by not having Intelligence 17 to begin with, he will have received four ability score advancements by the time he reaches 20th level. This gives him the opportunity to start with as low as Intelligence 13 if he so chooses.

Arcane Spellcasting: Unlike many of the options listed here, a guardian relies solely on arcane magic to weave his spells, apart from a scant few 1st level paladin spells. This limits the kind of armour he can wear, or forces him to invest in expensive mithril items. In either case the character will have to carefully weigh his need for physical protection against his need to cast spells.

Forbidden Schools: As a specialist in the school of Abjuration the guardian must select two other schools of magic to ignore. Necromancy presents an obvious first choice but the second poses a problem. Whatever choice he makes the elf will have to give up a handful of useful spells. When selecting forbidden schools the guardian can safely choose Necromancy. However, his second choice presents a more difficult challenge. At later levels he will need both Evocation and Transmutation to battle his foes. Conjuration gives him a wide variety of useful spells. Illusion and Enchantment both provide him with the fewest number of spells useful against the foes he will most commonly pit himself against. Either of these schools represent ‘safe’ choices, although the character will undoubtedly rue not having access to them more than once in his career.

Hit Dice: Wizards roll a d4 for hit points every level rather than the far more robust paladin d10. Combine this with an elf’s naturally low Constitution and the character may not have enough hit points to perform the functions of a front line fighter.

Limited Skills: Both paladins and wizards gain 2 skill points per level. Their skill lists also represent two radically diverged paths. The character’s high Intelligence will help to offset this limitation.

+++The Guardian (Paladin/Abjurer)

Paladin Spells per Day
Level Class Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special Caster Level 1st level
1st Pal 1 +1 +2 +0 +0 Aura of good, detect evil, smite evil 1/day, (character feat)
— —
2nd Pal 2 +2 +3 +0 +0 Divine grace, lay on hands — —
3rd Pal 3 +3 +3 +1 +1 Aura of courage, divine health, (character feat)
— —
4th Pal 4 +4 +4 +1 +1 Turn undead, (ability increase) 2nd 0
5th Pal 5 +5 +4 +1 +1 Smite evil 2/day, special mount 2nd 0
6th Pal 6 +6/+1 +5 +2 +2 Remove disease 1/week, (character feat) 3rd 1
7th Wiz 1 +6/+1 +5 +2 +4 Scribe Scroll, summon familiar 3rd 1
8th Wiz 2 +7/+2 +5 +2 +5 (ability increase) 3rd 1
9th Wiz 3 +7/+2 +6 +3 +5 (character feat) 3rd 1
10th Wiz 4 +8/+3 +6 +3 +6 3rd 1
11th Wiz 5 +8/+3 +6 +3 +6 Bonus feat 3rd 1
12th Wiz 6 +9/+4 +7 +4 +7 (character feat), (ability increase) 3rd 1
13th Wiz 7 +9/+4 +7 +4 +7 3rd 1
14th Wiz 8 +10/+5 +7 +4 +8 3rd 1
15th Wiz 9 +10/+5 +8 +5 +8 (character feat) 3rd 1
16th Wiz 10 +11/+6/+1 +8 +5 +9 Bonus feat, (ability increase) 3rd 1
17th Wiz 11 +11/+6/+1 +8 +5 +9 3rd 1
18th Wiz 12 +12/+7/+2 +9 +6 +10 (character feat) 3rd 1
19th Wiz 13 +12/+7/+2 +9 +6 +10 3rd 1
20th Wiz 14 +13/+8/+3 +9 +6 +11 (ability increase) 3rd 1

Recommended Options

As the character combines wizard and paladin levels, there are some options he can take to optimise the mixture of both classes’ abilities.

The Player should choose at 1st level whether the paladin will be a melee warrior, a ranged combatant or cavalry fighter. He should then focus his feats on one of these three archetypes, following the Combat Expertise, Point Blank Shot or Mounted Combat feat progressions respectively. This will allow the character to continue to develop combat options while focussing on his magical abilities.

The guardian needs to purchase physical and social skills (Diplomacy, Ride and Sense Motive in particular) early in his career. He may safely ignore both Concentration and Knowledge until he begins to progress in wizard levels.

Combat Casting is a highly useful feat as a 6th or 9th level selection if the guardian intends to cast in battle rather than casting and then shifting into a close combat role.

Recommended prepared spells (for a 13th level wizard): 0 level – acid splash, detect magic, prestidigitation, read magic, resistance; 1st level – protection from evil (x2), magic missile (x2), magic weapon; 2nd level – acid arrow, dark vision, glitterdust, resist energy, scorching ray; 3rd level – dispel magic, lightning bolt (x2), haste, magic circle against evil; 4th level – dimensional anchor, resilient sphere (x2), shout, stone skin; 5th level – cloudkill, cone of cold (x2), dismissal; 6th level – disintegrate, greater dispel magic (x2), true seeing; 7th level – banishment, spell turning, summon monster VII.

+++Guardian Spells (Wizard)
Level Caster Level Spells per Day
0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th
1st — — — — — — — — —
2nd — — — — — — — — —
3rd — — — — — — — — —
4th — — — — — — — — —
5th — — — — — — — — —
6th — — — — — — — — —
7th 1st 3+1 1+1 — — — — — —
8th 2nd 4+1 2+1 — — — — — —
9th 3rd 4+1 2+1 1+1 — — — — —
10th 4th 4+1 3+1 2+1 — — — — —
11th 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 — — — —
12th 6th 4+1 3+1 3+1 2+1 — — — —
13th 7th 4+1 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 — — —
14th 8th 4+1 4+1 3+1 3+1 2+1 — — —
15th 9th 4+1 4+1 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 — —
16th 10th 4+1 4+1 4+1 3+1 3+1 2+1 — —
17th 11th 4+1 4+1 4+1 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 —
18th 12th 4+1 4+1 4+1 4+1 3+1 3+1 2+1 —
19th 13th 4+1 4+1 4+1 4+1 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
20th 14th 4+1 4+1 4+1 4+1 4+1 3+1 3+1 2+1

Variant Rules

In order to represent his special training the guardian may choose the following options rather than the normal abilities available to a paladin or sorcerer.

Charm Of Protection (Sp): Upon gaining 5th wizard level, the guardian can elect to take Charm Of Protection instead of the bonus feat normally gained at this level. Charm of protection allows the character to combine his divine grace and aura of courage.
This ward protects another creature – the guardian need only touch them and spend a move action transferring his grace to the target. The ward provides a sacred bonus to all saving throws equal to the guardian’s Charisma modifier, plus an additional +4 bonus to the target’s saves against fear effects. For as long as the target is protected in such a manner, the paladin does not benefit from divine grace or generate an aura of courage. The paladin may concentrate as a full-round action to cease the effect (regaining his usual abilities), no matter how far away the target is. Should the guardian die, the abilities conferred to the target also expire.
Special: The character must be at least a 3rd level paladin before selecting this variant.

Prayers Of Elven Magic (Su): Upon gaining 10th wizard level, the guardian can elect to take Prayers Of Elven Magic instead of the bonus feat normally gained at this level) the guardian may sacrifice his wizard bonus feat for this ability. Prayers Of Elven Magic allows the character to add his Wisdom bonus to his Intelligence bonus when determining the number of bonus spells per day the character receives.
Special: The character must be at least a 3rd level paladin before selecting this variant.

Moon Singer (Bard/ Druid)

Stories speak of elven music so beautiful it can draw the moon down to dance. Mortals speak of how in tune elves are with nature, with the ebb and flow of the world. A few even whisper about the dangers of being ‘ensnared’ by elven charms, lost in a glamour almost as real as the true world.

Although all elves carry something of these mysteries, the moon singer dedicates his life to mastering them. He combines bardic and druidic training to master the primal arts of illusion. The songs he sings and the spells he weaves draw on the fundamental acts of primal creation rather than the chained magic created by mortal will. Bypassing even the gods, a moon singer speaks directly to the world in its own language. The world responds in kind, giving the elf what he most needs, even if it is not what he wants.

Moon singers combine bard saving throws and skills with the wide variety of magical talents possessed by druids. They have very strong saving throws for a spellcaster, coupled with solid combat skills. The druidic side of their training provides them with a selection of spells that strongly augment their more subtle bardic training. The character generally trades off advancing in the bard and druid classes, alternating between them to maximise both available spell levels and abilities.

Strengths

A moon singer gains a number of advantages from mixing the bard and druid classes, including:

Animal Allies: With both the animal companion feature and the ability to cast summon nature’s ally spells spontaneously, the moon singer never lacks for an ally to flank his enemies, whittle down a target’s hit points or simply provide him with aid another bonuses.

Divine Spellcasting: Divine magic suffers no penalties from armour so at least part of the character’s spell selection can be cast in medium or heavy armour. These spells include several useful enhancement spells that were previously on the bard spell list.

Hit Die: The druid’s d8 Hit Die is higher than the bard’s base d6. This gives the character slightly more durability than the average bard.

Saving Throws: Bards have favourable progression in both Reflex and Will saves. Druids have favourable progression in Fortitude and Will. This gives the character a significant advantage by allowing him to have strong saves in all three categories.

Skills: The bard gains a wide range of skills and 6 skill points per level. He can also use the bardic knowledge ability to simulate Knowledge (local), Knowledge (history) and Knowledge (nobility and royalty). As a druid he gets access to a related skill list that has several useful skills not present on the bard list (i.e. Heal, Spot and Survival).

Wild Shape: The ability to transform into animals is as useful as the character wants to make it; mostly used to scout or track down a target, some forms may be useful in certain combat conditions.

Weaknesses

The moon singer dilutes his spellcasting and magic abilities severely by mixing levels, adding the following weaknesses:

Base Attack Bonus: The combination of two similar, staggered progressions makes for some long ‘down time’ in terms of gaining combat ability. Although the character ends up being just slightly weaker than a standard bard or druid, he suffers long periods of having relatively a low base attack bonus throughout his career.

Abilities: Bards and druids use different base ability scores for spell casting. In order to take full advantage of the spells available the character must have at least Charisma 14 and Wisdom 15 by 20th level.

Armour Restrictions: The druid class prevents the character from wearing any sort of metal armour, which limits his options severely, although any wooden armour treated with ironwood magic will do just fine.

Moon Singer Spells (Bard)

Level Caster Level Spells per Day Spells Known
0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1st 1st 2 — — — — 4 — — — —
2nd 1st 2 — — — — 4 — — — —
3rd 2nd 3 0 — — — 5 2 — — —
4th 2nd 3 0 — — — 5 2 — — —
5th 2nd 3 0 — — — 5 2 — — —
6th 3rd 3 1 — — — 6 3 — — —
7th 4th 3 2 0 — — 6 3 2 — —
8th 4th 3 2 0 — — 6 3 2 — —
9th 4th 3 2 0 — — 6 3 2 — —
10th 5th 3 3 1 — — 6 4 3 — —
11th 6th 3 3 2 — — 6 4 3 — —
12th 6th 3 3 2 — — 6 4 3 — —
13th 6th 3 3 2 — — 6 4 3 — —
14th 7th 3 3 2 0 — 6 4 4 2 —
15th 7th 3 3 2 0 — 6 4 4 2 —
16th 8th 3 3 3 1 — 6 4 4 3 —
17th 8th 3 3 3 1 — 6 4 4 3 —
18th 9th 3 3 3 2 — 6 4 4 3 —
19th 9th 3 3 3 2 — 6 4 4 3 —
20th 10th 3 3 3 2 0 6 4 4 4 2
The bard spell column lists spells known/per day.

Recommended Options

As the character combines bard and druid levels, there are some options he can take to optimise the mixture of both classes’ abilities.

The moon singer soon qualifies for the mystic theurge prestige class (see the SRD). If the Player wishes to pursue mastery of both the bard and druid spell lists he may wish to ask his Games Master if the class is available in his world.

The moon singer has access to all the 2nd level physical enhancement spells (bear’s endurance, bull’s strength and cat’s grace), so he can support his otherwise substandard melee abilities.

Silent Spell will help the moon singer to cast divine spells while maintaining bardic music abilities. The Extend Spell feat is also useful for increasing the time that enhancement spells will last.

The moon singer should decide early on whether he wishes to primarily play a supporting role or take on the role of a powerful offensive force. The bardic side of the character’s training emphasises a support roll, with spells that allow the character to take control of a social or interpersonal situation. The druidic side of the character’s training is more flexible due to the open nature of the druid’s spell lists.

The Player could ask the Games Master for permission to acquire monster feats that would affect his animal forms’ performance, such as Fly-By Attack for winged animals or Multiattack for creatures with three or more natural attacks. Such feats would only be in effect when the character is in a wild shape.

The magic fang spell affects the character’s own natural attacks while in wild shape; combined with feats such as Power Attack, they can be made even stronger.

If the character expects to do a lot of combat in a wild shape he should devote a few feats towards enhancing his natural weapon attacks.

With an above average Wisdom score, the moon singer should invest in
Sense Motive, Spot, Listen or Survival, in order to milk the most out his natural advantages.

Recommended prepared spells (for a 10th level druid): 0 level – cure minor wounds, guidance, know direction, light, read magic, resistance, virtue; 1st level – cure light wounds, endure elements, magic fang, produce flame, shillelagh; 2nd level – barkskin, bear’s endurance, bull’s strength, cat’s grace, flame blade, resist energy; 3rd level – call lightning, cure moderate wounds, greater magic fang, poison, protection from energy, wind wall; 4th level – cure serious wounds, flame strike, freedom of movement, ice storm; 5th level – baleful polymorph, call lightning storm, cure critical wounds, stoneskin.

Recommended known spells (for a 10th level bard): 0 level – daze, detect magic, flare, lullaby, mage hand, read magic; 1st level – cure light wounds, identify, lesser confusion, silent image; 2nd level – cure moderate wounds, mirror image, rage, silence; 3rd level – confusion, good hope, lesser geas, see invisibility; 4th level – break enchantment, cure critical wounds, shadow conjuration.

Moon Singer Spells (Druid)

Level Caster Level Spells per Day
0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
1st — — — — — — —
2nd 1st 3 1 — — — —
3rd 1st 3 1 — — — —
4th 2nd 4 2 — — — —
5th 3rd 4 2 1 — — —
6th 3rd 4 2 1 — — —
7th 3rd 4 2 1 — — —
8th 4th 5 3 2 — — —
9th 5th 5 3 2 1 — —
10th 5th 5 3 2 1 — —
11th 5th 5 3 2 1 — —
12th 6th 5 3 3 2 — —
13th 7th 6 4 3 2 1 —
14th 7th 6 4 3 2 1 —
15th 8th 6 4 3 3 2 —
16th 8th 6 4 3 3 2 —
17th 9th 6 4 4 3 2 1
18th 9th 6 4 4 3 2 1
19th 10th 6 4 4 3 3 2
20th 10th 6 4 4 3 3 2

Variant Rules

In order to represent his special training the moon singer may choose the following options rather than the normal abilities available to a bard or druid.

Glamour Casting (Sp): Upon gaining 3rd bard level, the moon singer can elect to take
Glamour Casting instead of the inspire confidence class feature. The moon singer has chosen to learn how to sing the songs of glamour rather than inspirational tunes. This gives him the ability to spontaneously apply any Metamagic feat he knows to a spell he knows or has prepared. The moon singer expends a daily use of his bardic music ability when casting a spell he wishes to enhance. Metamagic feats applied using the glamour casting ability do not increase the casting level of the spell – instead, they add a number of rounds to the casting time equal to the number of spell levels usually required to gain the metamagic effect. Glamour Casting cannot be used to apply the Silent Spell feat. This ability takes the place of the inspire confidence bard class ability.

Ancient Lore (Ex): Upon gaining 4th druid level, the moon singer can elect to take Ancient Lore instead of the resist nature’s lure class feature. Rather than solely studying the ways of nature he continues his training in the history and legends of men. He may add his druid level as well as his bard level to bardic knowledge checks.

Trumpet’s Call (Ex): Upon gaining 9th druid level, the moon singer can elect to take Trumpet’s Call instead of the venom immunity class feature. The moon singer may choose to use his knowledge of nature to augment his summoning rather than develop immunities to natural poisons.
He may spontaneously cast summon nature’s ally using bard spells rather than druid spells if he wishes to do so.

Sentinel (Ranger/Diviner)

In the dark places where mortals fear to tread elves take up bow and blade to defend the land. Although they fight with all of the grace and cunning they possess, the simple skills of mastering mundane weapons often do not give them enough power to hold back the night. So many elves turn to the lore of their people, to magic, for protection and salvation.

One example of this trend is the sentinel, a ranger who studies the arts of divination so that he can better hunt down his foes. His spells ferret out enemies who would go otherwise undetected. Many also develop remarkable abilities almost akin to those possessed by nature spirits, seeming to bond with the land under their protection. Others range far beyond the elven forests, drawn out by secrets revealed though their art.

Sentinels are rangers first and diviners a distant second. They train fairly heavily in combat arts rather than trying to balance the progression between their wizard and ranger paths. A skilled sentinel uses his spells sparingly but will probably have a number of minor magical items on hand at any given moment.

Strengths

A sentinel gains respectable combat abilities and decent spell casting talents throughout his career. This gives him the following strengths:

Familiar and Companion: The sentinel gains both an animal companion and a standard wizard familiar. Both of these creatures can help the character by scouting for him or by assisting him during a fight.

Divination Specialist: The sentinel gains bonus spells per day thanks to his specialisation in the Divination school. Even the prohibitions incurred by his specialisation are minimised, as he need only select a single prohibited school.

Saving Throws: Rangers have favourable progression in both Fortitude and Reflex saves. Wizards have favourable progression in the Will save. This combination gives the character solid saving throws in all three categories.

Skills: Rangers gain six skill points per level rather than the wizard’s measly two. The two have radically different skill lists as well, allowing the character to possess a wide array of talents. A sentinel will also have a high Intelligence, insuring that he gets bonus skill points every level – this is a particularly valuable asset as elves will not benefit from the bonus skill points that humans enjoy.

Weaknesses

The sentinel dilutes his combat ability by taking up wizard levels, adding the following weaknesses:

Abilities: A ranger/wizard needs high scores in every ability score. He needs Strength, Dexterity and Constitution for combat prowess, Intelligence and Wisdom for skills and spells and Charisma for his wild empathy class ability. The Player will have to carefully allocate his character’s ability scores to create a decent balance, but one or more areas will have to suffer.

Arcane Spellcasting: Unlike many of the options listed here, a sentinel relies solely on arcane magic. This means that he should avoid armour unless absolutely forced into it. However, this fits roughly within the limitations placed on the ranger’s combat style class feature.

Base Attack Bonus: The character’s base attack bonus will be lower than that of a non-multiclassed ranger. Wizards are not well known for their swordsmanship.

Hit Dice: Rangers are already fragile for frontline fighters, relying on a d8 to generate their hit points. Adding wizard levels pushes them down into the rogue hit point range, making it difficult for them to fight toe-to-toe with some of the more powerful creatures in the world.

The Sentinel (Ranger/Diviner)

Level	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special

1st Rgr 1 +1 +2 +2 +0 1st favoured enemy, Track, wild empathy, (character feat)
2nd Rgr 2 +2 +3 +3 +0 Combat style
3rd Rgr 3 +3 +3 +3 +1 Endurance, (character feat)
4th Wiz 1 +3 +3 +3 +3 Scribe Scroll, summon familiar, (ability increase)
5th Wiz 2 +4 +3 +3 +4
6th Wiz 3 +4 +4 +4 +4 (character feat)
7th Rgr 4 +5 +5 +5 +4 Animal companion, ranger spells
8th Rgr 5 +6/+1 +5 +5 +4 2nd favoured enemy, (ability increase)
9th Rgr 6 +7/+2 +6 +6 +5 Improved combat style, (character feat)
10th Wiz 4 +8/+3 +6 +6 +6
11th Wiz 5 +8/+3 +6 +6 +6 Bonus Feat
12th Rgr 7 +9/+4 +6 +6 +6 Woodland stride, (character feat), (ability increase)
13th Rgr 8 +10/+5 +7 +7 +6 Swift tracker
14th Rgr 9 +11/+6/+1 +7 +7 +7 Evasion
15th Rgr 10 +12/+7/+2 +8 +8 +7 3rd favoured enemy, (character feat)
16th Rgr 11 +13/+8/+3 +8 +8 +7 Combat style mastery, (ability increase)
17th Wiz 6 +14/+9/+4 +9 +9 +8
18th Wiz 7 +14/+9/+4 +9 +9 +8 (character feat)
19th Rgr 12 +15/+10/+5 +10 +10 +9
20th Rgr 13 +16/+11/+6/+1 +10 +10 +9 Camouflage, (ability increase)

Recommended Options

As the character combines ranger and wizard levels, there are some options he can take to optimise the mixture of both classes’ abilities.

The sentinel is a wizard specialising in the Divination school. This means that he must select one school of magic from which he will never be able to cast spells. The least useful school to sentinels is Necromancy, although Conjuration is another occasionally viable choice.

The sentinel can qualify for the arcane archer prestige class from 7th level (or 8th level if using the route mapped out in the tables given). The Player should ask if the Games Master wishes to include this prestige class from the SRD in his game world.

A sentinel is not well suited for the rigours of front line combat. They should select feats like Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot that will allow them to use their superior Dexterity to full advantage. He should also select the ranged combat style as part of his ranger class abilities.

Much like a single class ranger, a sentinel needs to spend considerable time selecting his favoured enemies. Elementals, giants, monstrous humanoids, outsiders (evil) and undead all make excellent choices. Undead in particular may be a good choice if the character gives up the Necromancy school, as he will not have access to spells that directly affect undead.

If the character has an animal companion he should strongly consider either a horse or a wolf. The horse can provide the character with additional mobility, while the wolf is an excellent tracker and combatant.

At some point early on (either at or right after 3rd level) the character should select the Craft Wondrous Item feat. This will allow him to create a wide variety of useful magical items to supplement his magical skills. Brew Potions may also be useful but the character should not get more than one Item Creation Feat.

Recommended prepared spells (for a 7th level wizard): 0 level – mage hand, mending, message, prestidigitation, read magic; 1st level – disguise self, mage armour, true strike (x2); 2nd level – cat’s grace, detect thoughts, fog cloud, see invisible; 3rd level – arcane sight, flame arrow, heroism; 4th level – greater invisibility, scrying.

Recommended prepared spells (for a 13th level ranger): 1st level – jump; 2nd level – spike growth; 3rd level – cure moderate wounds.

Sentinel Spells (Ranger)

Level Caster Level Spells per Day
1st 2nd 3rd
1st — — — —
2nd — — — —
3rd — — — —
4th — — — —
5th — — — —
6th — — — —
7th 2nd 0 — —
8th 2nd 0 — —
9th 3rd 1 — —
10th 3rd 1 — —
11th 3rd 1 — —
12th 3rd 1 — —
13th 4th 1 0 —
14th 4th 1 0 —
15th 5th 1 1 —
16th 5th 1 1 0
17th 5th 1 1 0
18th 5th 1 1 0
19th 6th 1 1 1
20th 6th 1 1 1

Sentinel Spells (Diviner)

Level Caster Level Spells per Day
0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1st — — — — — —
2nd — — — — — —
3rd — — — — — —
4th 1st 3+1 1+1 — — —
5th 2nd 4+1 2+1 — — —
6th 3rd 4+1 2+1 1+1 — —
7th 3rd 4+1 2+1 1+1 — —
8th 3rd 4+1 2+1 1+1 — —
9th 3rd 4+1 2+1 1+1 — —
10th 4th 4+1 3+1 2+1 — —
11th 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 —
12th 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 —
13th 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 —
14th 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 —
15th 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 —
16th 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 —
17th 6th 4+1 3+1 3+1 2+1 —
18th 7th 4+1 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
19th 7th 4+1 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
20th 7th 4+1 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1

Variant Rules

In order to represent his special training, the sentinel may choose the following options rather than the normal abilities available to a ranger or wizard. In cases where two abilities appear at the same level, the character may only select one of the presented options.

Bonded Heart (Ex): Upon gaining 4th ranger level, the sentinel can elect to take Bonded Heart instead of the animal companion class feature normally gained at this level. Bonded Heart allows the character to use his character level rather than his wizard level when determining the abilities of his familiar.

Heart Seeker Style (Ex): Upon gaining 6th ranger level, the sentinel can elect to take Heart Seeker Style instead of the improved combat style class feature normally gained at this level. The Heart Seeker Style allows the character to maximise a single ranged attack. This ranged attack takes a full-round action and the target must be within one range increment. If the attack hits, it automatically inflicts maximum damage rather than making a damage roll. This modifier applies to normal and critical damage but not to additional damage dice generated by magical effects or sneak attack bonuses. The character will advance normally in his originally chosen combat style once he reaches 11th ranger level and the Heart Seeker Style may only be used when the elf is wearing light or no armour.

Treasures Of The Earth (Su): Upon gaining 5th wizard level, the sentinel can elect to take Treasures Of The Earth instead of the bonus feat normally gained at this level. The character may create minor wondrous items (any item from the minor item’s list in the SRD) without spending gold. He uses natural materials and items fashioned by nature as his raw materials for such things. The character must still pay the XP cost and the item takes 1 day to make per 500 gp in its price – this extra time includes the time necessary to both find and work the natural ingredients.
Special: The character must be at least a 3rd level ranger before selecting this variant and must possess the Craft Wondrous Item feat.

Shadow Weaver (Illusionist/Rogue)

Not all elves sing to the stars or take up bright blades against the darkness. For every bold hero of the elven race there is another who stands in the shadows. For every great singer or mighty wizard there is an elf that delights in deception and illusion for their own sakes. These elves use magic as just one tool in their kit, just another way to weave ever more complex illusions in the minds of those they encounter.

Shadow weavers engage in all of the trickery that one associates with the fey folk. They laugh as they tie other people’s lives into knots. They steal, run confidence games and liberate people of their morals without a second thought. For all of that they are usually not malicious or evil, just chaotic to an extreme and gifted with more power than good sense.

Shadow weavers focus on either the rogue or wizard part of their training in fits and starts. By pursing an unbalanced progression they get access to a wide variety of abilities early on then develop solid skills early. In the end they have balanced wizard and rogue skills, giving them amazing flexibility.

Strengths
A shadow weaver gains a number of abilities in exchange for his lack of specialised knowledge. These include:

Armour Matching: Rogues generally avoid anything other than the lightest of armours. Wizards avoid armour entirely if they do not want to suffer spell failure penalties. A shadow weaver therefore suffers little conflict between the two, unlike a fighter/wizard or paladin/abjurer.

Familiar: A cat or toad familiar provides a shadow weaver with highly useful bonuses. A snake or raven could also prove to be highly useful to a shadow weaver who relies on trickery rather than stealth. In any case, the familiar provides the character with an absolutely trustworthy ally in his dealings.

Illusion Specialist: The shadow weaver gains bonus spells per day thanks to his specialisation in the Illusion school. Also, given the flexibility of the rogue class, his prohibited schools may well be partially compensated by clever use of rogue skills and abilities.

Saving Throws: Rogues progress favourably in Reflex saving throws. Wizards progress favourably in Will saving throws. Between the two the shadow weaver develops good reflexes and a strong sense of self. He remains very vulnerable to disease and poisons.

Skills: Rogues, with eight skill points per level and a vast skill list, are the undoubted masters of d20 skill selection. This offsets the limited skills and two skill points per level available to wizards. Since the character will need at least a 15 Intelligence to use all of his potential spells, he may well start out with 40 or more skill points.

Sneak Attack: The rogue’s sneak attack class feature gives a carefully played shadow weaver considerable damage potential. He can either flank opponents or use magic to cause targets to become flat-footed at range.

Weaknesses

The shadow weaver’s focus on both magic and stealth reduces some of his abilities. This concentration gives the character the following weaknesses:

Base Attack Bonus: Neither rogues or wizards are well known for their skills with bow and blade. The character is somewhat more skilled in combat than the average wizard, but less skilled than a specialised rogue. The character will therefore be a decent secondary combatant, but is advised to leave the heavy fighting to the fighters and barbarians.

Forbidden Schools: As a specialist in the school of Illusion, the shadow weaver must select two other schools of magic to ignore. Evocation presents an obvious first choice but the second poses a problem. Whatever choice he makes the elf will have to give up a handful of useful spells.

The Shadow Weaver (Illusionist /Rogue)

Level	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special

1st Rog 1 +0 +0 +2 +0 Sneak attack (1d6), trapfinding, (character feat)
2nd Wiz 1 +0 +0 +2 +2 Scribe Scroll, summon familiar
3rd Rog 2 +1 +0 +3 +2 Evasion, (character feat)
4th Rog 3 +2 +1 +3 +3 Sneak attack, trap sense +1, (ability increase)
5th Rog 4 +3 +1 +4 +3 Uncanny dodge
6th Wiz 2 +4 +1 +4 +4 (character feat)
7th Wiz 3 +4 +2 +5 +4
8th Wiz 4 +5 +2 +5 +5 (ability increase)
9th Wiz 5 +5 +2 +5 +5 Bonus feat, (character feat)
10th Rog 5 +5 +2 +5 +5 Sneak attack (3d6)
11th Wiz 6 +6/+1 +3 +6 +6
12th Wiz 7 +6/+1 +3 +6 +6 (character feat), (ability increase)
13th Rog 6 +7/+2 +4 +7 +7 Trap sense +2
14th Rog 7 +8/+3 +4 +7 +7 Sneak attack (4d6)
15th Rog 8 +9/+4 +4 +8 +7 Improved uncanny dodge, (character feat)
16th Rog 9 +9/+4 +5 +8 +8 Sneak attack (+5d6), (ability increase)
17th Wiz 8 +10/+5 +5 +8 +9
18th Wiz 9 +10/+5 +6 +9 +9 (character feat)
19th Wiz 10 +11/+6/+1 +6 +9 +10 Bonus feat
20th Rog 10 +12/+7/+2 +6 +10 +10 Special ability, (ability increase)

Recommended Options

As the character combines rogue and wizard levels, there are some options he can take to optimise the mixture of both classes’ abilities.

A shadow weaver should focus his strongest attributes into Dexterity and Intelligence. This gives the character the maximum number of skill points, bonus spells and skill bonuses in his key skills.

Giving up Evocation hurts the shadow weaver’s offensive potential, forcing him to rely on less direct means to deal with his targets. At early levels he should make good use of acid arrow, colour spray and hypnotic pattern to weigh the odds in his favour. Both sleep and deep slumber will also prove extraordinarily useful.

Selecting a forbidden school presents the character with several problems. Probably the best choices are Evocation and Necromancy. Evocation spells just tempt the shadow weaver to engage in open combat while Necromancy contains only a handful of useful spells.

With a high Dexterity and the ability to use a longbow, the character should consider the Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot and Rapid Shot feats. This will allow the character to contribute in fights without exposing himself to melee combat.

A full array of defensive spells (particularly mage armour and protection from arrows) will allow the character to avoid wearing armour which would penalise both his rogue and wizard abilities.

Great Fortitude would bolster the character’s weak Fortitude saving throw, but this would only really be effective at lower levels.

Recommended prepared spells (for a 10th level wizard): 0 level – detect poison, detect magic, mage hand, read magic; 1st level –disguise self, mage armour, obscuring mist, reduce person, ventriloquism; 2nd level – acid arrow, invisibility, knock, resist energy, spider climb; 3rd level – deep slumber, dispel magic, major image, nondetection; 4th level – arcane eye, greater invisibility, polymorph, stone shape; 5th level – persistent image, shadow evocation, telekinesis.

Shadow Weaver Spells

Level Caster Level Spells per Day
0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
1st 0 — — — — — —
2nd 1st 3+1 1+1 — — — —
3rd 1st 3+1 1+1 — — — —
4th 1st 3+1 1+1 — — — —
5th 1st 3+1 1+1 — — — —
6th 2nd 4+1 2+1 — — — —
7th 3rd 4+1 2+1 1+1 — — —
8th 4th 4+1 3+1 2+1 — — —
9th 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 — —
10th 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 — —
11th 6th 4+1 3+1 3+1 2+1 — —
12th 7th 4+1 3+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 —
13th 7th 4+1 3+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 —
14th 7th 4+1 3+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 —
15th 7th 4+1 3+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 —
16th 7th 4+1 3+1 3+1 2+1 1+1 —
17th 8th 4+1 4+1 3+1 3+1 2+1 —
18th 9th 4+1 4+1 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
19th 10th 4+1 4+1 4+1 3+1 3+1 2+1
20th 10th 4+1 4+1 4+1 3+1 3+1 2+1

Variant Rules
In order to represent his special training the shadow weaver may choose the following options rather than the normal abilities available to a wizard or rogue.

Knight Of Shadows (Su): Upon gaining 4th rogue level, the shadow weaver can elect to take Knight Of Shadows instead of the uncanny dodge class feature. The character gains a +2 luck bonus to his Armour Class and his Move Silently and Hide skill checks in shadowy or dark conditions. This variant also changes the improved uncanny dodge ability granted by the rogue class – when the elf reaches 8th rogue level, his bonus increases to +3 instead.

Shadow Weave (Su): Upon gaining 5th wizard level, the shadow weaver can elect to take Shadow Weave instead of the bonus feat normally gained at this level. Shadow weave allows the character to spend additional time casting illusion spells to increase the DC to resist them. For every additional standard action the character spends casting an illusion spell, increase the spell’s DC by +1. The maximum number of actions a character can spend shadow weaving equals his rogue class level.

Charms Of Shadow (Sp): Upon gaining 10th wizard level, the shadow weaver can elect to take Charms Of Shadow instead of the bonus feat normally gained at this level. He may channel stored spell energy to cast the following spells spontaneously; 1st level – disguise self, 2nd level – invisibility, 3rd level – nondetection, 4th level – greater invisibility, 5th level – seeming. When he channels the spell energy, he may sacrifice any prepared spell of equal or greater level in order to cast the spontaneous spell instead. The character must have the spell in his spellbook in order to spontaneously cast it.

Spirit Walker (Druid/Sorcerer)

Spirit walkers drink deep at the wellspring of creation. They strive to channel the raw power of the universe, regardless of the possible consequences. By doing so, they develop powers unusual even among the elves. On one hand they can call up the forces of nature at their whim; on the other they harness the native magic of their hearts to weave arcane spells.

As the spirit walker develops his skills, he begins a long journey that will eventually lead him to become a spirit in truth as well as desire. Each mystery he unlocks leads him further and further away from the mortal world. Eventually, this journey will take him far away from the fields that we know, perhaps forever.

Spirit walkers typically develop their druidic magic and sorcery in a leapfrog progression, focussing first on one then the other. This gives them rapid access to high level spells from both lists. Subtle spells are not usually a part of their training; spirit walkers deal with the raw forces of the universe, not gentle spells designed to deflect the mind.

Strengths

A spirit walker gains a number of benefits from combining sorcerer and druid class abilities. These advantages include:

Animal Allies: With both the animal companion feature and the ability to cast summon nature’s ally spells spontaneously, the spirit walker never lacks for an ally to flank his enemies, whittle down a target’s hit points quicker or simply provide him with aid another bonuses.

Base Attack Bonus: The levels in druid help to make the character a more able combatant. However, the character will most likely spend the majority of his time in combat using the wild shape class ability.

Divine Spellcasting: Divine magic suffers no penalties from armour, so the character can wear the heaviest natural suit he can afford, without it affecting his druidic magical ability.

Dual Allies: The character gains both an animal companion and a sorcerer’s familiar. An animal companion serves as a relatively durable combatant, while the familiar acts as an extension of the character’s magical abilities. Both can be used for flanking or aid another actions.

Natural Attacks Proficiency: The character becomes proficient with the natural attacks of the animal forms he can adopt – combined with his familiar and animal companion, this can make the spirit walker a formidable strike force in his own right.

Saving Throws: Druids have favourable advancement in both Fortitude and Will saves. Sorcerers have favourable advancement in Will saves. This gives the character a remarkably strong
Will bonus along with a decent Fortitude bonus.

Skills: The druid gains a base four skill points per level, which is double that of a sorcerer. The two classes share key skills (Concentration and Spellcraft) so that a character can continue advancing in them both as he gains levels.

Wild Shape: The ability to transform into animals is as useful as the character wants to make it; mostly used to scout or track down a target, some forms may be useful in certain combat conditions.

Weaknesses

The spirit walker does not have the power associated with following a single magical path. This gives him the following weaknesses:

Abilities: Spirit walkers rely heavily on both their Wisdom and Charisma scores. They need to have at least 15 in each to cast the highest level spells available to them. This may well inhibit their ability to increase their physical attributes and may also limit their access to skill points.

Armour Restrictions: The druid class prevents the character from wearing any sort of metal armour, which limits his options severely, although any wooden armour treated with ironwood magic will do just fine. Sorcerer spells still suffer a chance of arcane spell failure, although the druid’s limitations prohibit the armours that carry the largest penalties.

Hit Die: The sorcerer’s d4 Hit Die severely compromises the druids more robust d8. The character may be more magically powerful but he is also considerably more fragile. He should avoid front line combat whenever possible, or be certain to augment his combat abilities with a host of spells.

Saving Throws: The character’s powerful Will save does not help him dodge fireballs. This saving throw will always be a weak spot for the character, though at lower levels it can be mitigated with the Lightning Reflexes feat.

The Spirit Walker (Druid/Sorcerer)

Level	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special

1st Sor 1 +0 +0 +0 +2 Summon familiar, (character feat)
2nd Sor 2 +1 +0 +0 +3
3rd Drd 1 +1 +2 +0 +5 Animal companion, nature sense, wild empathy, (character feat)
4th Drd 2 +2 +3 +0 +6 Woodland stride, (ability increase)
5th Drd 3 +3 +3 +1 +6 Trackless step
6th Sor 3 +3 +4 +2 +6 (character feat)
7th Sor 4 +4 +4 +2 +7
8th Drd 4 +5 +5 +2 +8 Resist nature’s lure, (ability increase)
9th Drd 5 +5 +5 +2 +8 Wild shape (1/day), (character feat)
10th Sor 5 +5 +5 +2 +8
11th Sor 6 +6/+1 +6 +3 +9
12th Drd 6 +7/+2 +7 +4 +10 Wild shape (2/day), (character feat), (ability increase)
13th Drd 7 +8/+3 +7 +4 +10 Wild shape (3/day)
14th Sor 7 +8/+3 +7 +4 +10
15th Sor 8 +9/+4 +7 +4 +11 (character feat)
16th Drd 8 +10/+5 +8 +4 +12 Wild shape (large), (ability increase)
17th Drd 9 +10/+5 +8 +5 +12 Venom immunity
18th Sor 9 +10/+5 +9 +6 +12 (character feat)
19th Sor 10 +11/+6/+1 +9 +6 +13
20th Drd 10 +12/+7/+2 +10 +6 +14 Wild shape (4/day), (ability increase)

Recommended Options

As the character combines druid and sorcerer levels, there are some options he can take to optimise the mixture of both classes’ abilities.

Whenever possible, select spells known from the sorcerer list that are either not present or not duplicated on the druid list. Druids have a wide selection of offensive spells, so the character can focus his sorcerer spells either on magic that he wants to have constant access to or to effects that will be useful in a wide variety of situations.

Spirit walkers may take the mystic theurge prestige class at 12th level (see the SRD). If the
Player wishes to pursue mastery of both the cleric and wizard spell lists he may wish to ask his Games Master if the class is available in his world.

Concentration and Spellcraft both provide the character with a great deal of utility. In terms of feats the character should invest in Natural Spell at 9th level; this will allow the character to cast spells while in an alternate form.

The Player could ask the Games Master for permission to acquire monster feats that would affect his animal forms’ performance, such as Fly-By Attack for winged animals or Multiattack for creatures with three or more natural attacks. Such feats would only be in effect when the character is in a wild shape.

The magic fang spell affects the character’s own natural attacks while in wild shape; combined with feats such as Power Attack, they can be made even stronger.

Endurance and Track complement the characters’ ability to survive in the wilderness and to withstand certain extreme environments.

With an above average Wisdom, the spirit walker should invest in Listen, Sense Motive or Survival. He may also find a few levels of Bluff particularly useful.

Recommended Known Spells (for a 10th level sorcerer): 0 level – acid splash, arcane mark, detect magic, mage hand, message, prestidigitation, read magic, resistance; 1st level – chill touch, expeditious retreat, magic missile, shield, true strike; 2nd level – command undead, scorching ray, mirror image, protection from arrows; 3rd level – dispel magic, fireball, vampiric touch; 4th level – dimension door, lesser globe of invulnerability; 5th level – shadow evocation.

Recommended prepared spells (for a 10th level druid): 0 level – cure minor wounds, guidance, know direction, light, read magic, resistance, virtue; 1st level – cure light wounds, endure elements, longstrider, magic fang, produce flame; 2nd level – barkskin, bear’s endurance, bull’s strength, cat’s grace, flame blade, resist energy; 3rd level – call lightning, cure moderate wounds, greater magic fang, poison, protection from energy, wind wall; 4th level – cure serious wounds, flame strike, freedom of movement, ice storm; 5th level – baleful polymorph, call lightning storm, cure critical wounds, stoneskin.

Spirit Walker Spells (Druid)

Level Caster Level Spells per Day 0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
1st — — — — — — —
2nd — — — — — — —
3rd 1st 3 1 — — — —
4th 2nd 4 2 — — — —
5th 3rd 4 2 1 — — —
6th 3rd 4 2 1 — — —
7th 3rd 4 2 1 — — —
8th 4th 5 3 2 — — —
9th 5th 5 3 2 1 — —
10th 5th 5 3 2 1 — —
11th 5th 5 3 2 1 — —
12th 6th 5 3 2 2 — —
13th 7th 6 4 3 2 1 —
14th 7th 6 4 3 2 1 —
15th 7th 6 4 3 2 1 —
16th 8th 6 4 3 3 2 —
17th 9th 6 4 4 3 2 1
18th 9th 6 4 4 3 2 1
19th 9th 6 4 4 3 2 1
20th 10th 6 4 4 3 3 2

Spirit Walker Spells (Sorcerer)

Level Caster Level Spells per Day Spell Known
0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
1st 1st 5 3 — — — — 4 2 — — — —
2nd 2nd 6 4 — — — — 5 2 — — — —
3rd 2nd 6 4 — — — — 5 2 — — — —
4th 2nd 6 4 — — — — 5 2 — — — —
5th 2nd 6 4 — — — — 5 2 — — — —
6th 3rd 6 5 — — — — 5 3 — — — —
7th 4th 6 6 3 — — — 6 3 1 — — —
8th 4th 6 6 3 — — — 6 3 1 — — —
9th 4th 6 6 3 — — — 6 3 1 — — —
10th 5th 6 6 4 — — — 6 4 2 — — —
11th 6th 6 6 5 3 — — 7 4 2 1 — —
12th 6th 6 6 5 3 — — 7 4 2 1 — —
13th 6th 6 6 5 3 — — 7 4 2 1 — —
14th 7th 6 6 6 4 — — 7 5 3 2 — —
15th 8th 6 6 6 5 3 — 8 5 3 2 1 —
16th 8th 6 6 6 5 3 — 8 5 3 2 1 —
17th 8th 6 6 6 5 3 — 8 5 3 2 1 —
18th 9th 6 6 6 6 4 — 8 5 4 3 2 —
19th 10th 6 6 6 6 5 3 9 5 4 3 2 1
20th 10th 6 6 6 6 5 3 9 5 4 3 2 1

Variant Rules

In order to represent his special training the spirit walker may choose the following options rather than the normal abilities available to a druid or sorcerer.

Spirit Sight (Sp): Upon gaining 3rd druid level, the spirit walker can elect to take Spirit Sight instead of the trackless step class feature. Spirit Sight allows the character to see invisible as the spell, cast at his character level. This ability requires a full-round action to activate and a standard action every round to maintain.

Bridge Of Light (Su): Upon gaining 3rd sorcerer level, the spirit walker can elect to take Bridge Of Light. This effectively sacrifices the druid’s nature sense class feature, as the character loses his affinity with the natural world in favour of the spirit world. When the character casts a spell at an incorporeal creature he reduces his chance to miss the target by 25%.

Between Two Worlds (Su): Upon gaining 8th druid level, the spirit walker can elect to take Between Two Worlds instead of the wild shape (Large) druid class feature. When the character transforms into a wild shape he may add the incorporeal trait to the shape, regardless of whether or not the base creature possesses it. Note that if this variant is taken, then the spirit walker will gain wild shape (Large) instead of wild shape (Huge) at 15th druid level.

The Magical Beast (Su): Upon gaining 9th character level, the spirit walker can elect to take The Magical Beast instead of the character feat normally gained at this level. When a character with The Magical Beast invokes wild shape, he may cast one spell from the following list as a free action (but may only cast it on himself); bull’s strength, cat’s grace, chill touch, magic fang or spider climb. The spell must be prepared or available to use from one of the character’s spell lists and the spell slot is spent as normal when the spell is cast. However, the spell will last for as long as the spirit walker is in the wild shape (although in chill touch’s case, it only grants a number of enhanced attacks per hour equal to the elf’s sorcerer level).
Special: The character must be at least a 3rd level sorcerer and 5th level druid before selecting this variant.

Star Born (Cleric/Wizard)

The star born strive for the ultimate key to elven magic. They study the ways of gods and mortals, bridging the gap between the two. The star born comes to understand the myriad ways of weaving power as he slowly transcends the limitation governing arcane and divine magic. Eventually, at the ultimate extent of his power, he clears the way for his own ascension into the stars.

The star born do not attain the heady heights of power available to more specialised spellcasters. Instead they make up for a lack of power with incredible breadth. They can heal, cast battle magic and weave spells that alter the fabric of reality. They can even fight a little, using longsword and longbow alongside their more highly trained warrior brethren.

Star born start out as clerics then begin training as wizards. In order to enhance their spell casting capabilities they tend to focus more and more on wizard progression as they gain in levels. This gives them access to up to 7th level spells, while insuring that their secondary healing abilities remain strong.

Strengths

A star born gains a number of strengths by combining arcane and divine magical training. These include:

Divine Spellcasting: Divine magic suffers no penalties from armour, so the character can wear the heaviest suit he can afford without it affecting his magic ability. He still suffers spell failure when casting arcane spells in armour.

Divine Scribing: The star born can make both arcane and divine scrolls. A wise star born will take advantage of this fact, scribing basic healing and utility scrolls for use during adventures.

Familiar: The wizard familiar gained at early levels can serve as a means to deliver any kind of clerical touch spell (including cure spells) as well as arcane spells. This can allow the star born to do the majority of his healing from outside of the primary fighting area.

Hit Die: The cleric’s d8 Hit Die gives the star born quite a bit more durability than a standard wizard, but he does not have the ability to absorb hits that a cleric or fighter would have.

Skills: Clerics and wizards share key skills (Concentration and Spellcraft) on their class skill lists. This allows the character to continue advancing in these skills while studying either branch of magic.

Saving Throws: Clerics have favourable advancement in both Fortitude and Will saves. Wizards have favourable advancement in Will saves. This means that the multiclassed cleric/wizard will have a better Fortitude save than other wizards, without sacrificing their Will save.

Weaknesses

The star born does not have the power associated with following a single magical path. This gives him the following weaknesses:

Abilities: Star born must possess considerable Wisdom and Intelligence to make the most of their magic. They should have at least Wisdom 14 and Intelligence 17. If forced to make a choice, Wisdom is of greater help to the star born, giving him more spells per day from the cleric spell list.

Armour Limitations: Although the star born does have divine magic he still suffers penalties while casting arcane spells in armour. Fortunately he can draw on protective spells from both the cleric and the wizard spell list to increase his practical protection.

Limited Healing: Star born do not study divine magic as deeply as a regular cleric. This means that at later levels they will be relegated to the role of secondary healer. Their small number of healing spells simply cannot keep up with the damage output of higher Challenge Rating monsters.

Saving Throws: The cleric/wizard may be able to handle mental and physical effects, but his Reflex save will be exceptionally poor, especially at early levels.

The Star Born (Cleric/Wizard)

Level	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special

1st Clr 1 +0 +2 +0 +2 Turn or rebuke undead, (character feat)
2nd Wiz 1 +0 +2 +0 +4 Scribe Scroll, summon familiar
3rd Wiz 2 +1 +2 +0 +5 (character feat)
4th Clr 2 +2 +3 +0 +6 (ability increase)
5th Clr 3 +3 +3 +1 +6
6th Wiz 3 +3 +4 +2 +7 (character feat)
7th Clr 4 +4 +5 +2 +8
8th Wiz 4 +5 +5 +2 +8 (ability increase)
9th Wiz 5 +5 +5 +2 +8 Bonus feat, (character feat)
10th Wiz 6 +6 +6 +3 +9
11th Clr 5 +6/+1 +6 +3 +9
12th Wiz 7 +6/+1 +6 +3 +9 (character feat), (ability increase)
13th Wiz 8 +7/+2 +6 +3 +10
14th Wiz 9 +7/+2 +7 +4 +10
15th Clr 6 +8/+3 +8 +5 +11 (character progression feat)
16th Clr 7 +9/+4 +8 +5 +11 (ability increase)
17th Wiz 10 +10/+5 +8 +5 +12 Bonus feat
18th Wiz 11 +10/+5 +8 +5 +12 (character feat)
19th Wiz 12 +11/+6/+1 +9 +6 +13
20th Wiz 13 +11/+6/+1 +9 +6 +13 (ability increase)

Recommended Options
As the character combines cleric and wizard levels, there are some options he can take to optimise the mixture of both classes’ abilities.

Concentration ranks are vital, as the star born will often have to engage in complex spellcasting in difficult situations.

Star born may take the mystic theurge prestige class (see the SRD) as early as 6th level. If the
Player wishes to pursue mastery of both the cleric and wizard spell lists he may wish to ask his Games Master if the class is available in his world.

If the Games Master permits, the character may select the Improved Familiar feat from the SRD. This feat allows a sufficiently powerful arcane spellcaster to gain an equally powerful familiar.

With so many options open to them selecting the proper assortment of known spells can be a huge challenge. Therefore the character finds that scrolls and various kinds of wondrous items greatly enhance their abilities. A handful of cure moderate wounds scrolls and a candle of truth can solve many problems.

The character’s feat selection needs to be focussed on either improving his combat skills or increasing his magical knowledge. Item Creation feats are eminently useful – Craft Wondrous Item could be used to make items that combine both arcane and divine qualities. Metamagic feats (in particular Empower Spell and Extend Spell) give him more flexibility when selecting and applying his spells. Also, remember that the character can apply metamagic feats to spontaneously cast more powerful cure or inflict spells.

Of the four domains available to worshippers of the standard elven god, Protection and War stand out as being the most useful. The domain granted powers give the star born solid advantages when caught in combat and the spells help to augment the character’s defensive abilities.

Recommended prepared spells (for a 13th level wizard): 0 level – read magic (x2), prestidigitation, touch of fatigue: 1st level – burning hands, magic missile (x2), shield; 2nd level – protection from arrows, mirror image, pyrotechnics, scorching ray; 3rd level – arcane sight, fireball, heroism, ray of exhaustion; 4th level – greater invisibility, ice storm, lesser globe of invulnerability, summon monster IV; 5th level – cloudkill, shadow evocation, teleport; 6th level – circle of death, greater dispel magic; 7th level – waves of exhaustion.

Recommended prepared spells (for a 7th level cleric): 0 level – detect magic (x2), guidance (x2), purify food and drink (x2); 1st level – bless, divine favour (x2), entropic shield, remove fear, sanctuary; 2nd level – align weapon, lesser restoration, remove paralysis, spiritual weapon; 3rd level –invisibility purge, magic vestment, prayer; 4th level – divine power, spell immunity.

Star Born Spells (Cleric)
Character Level Caster Level Spells per Day
0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1st 1st 3 1+1 — — —
2nd 1st 3 1+1 — — —
3rd 1st 3 1+1 — — —
4th 2nd 4 2+1 — — —
5th 3rd 4 2+1 1+1 — —
6th 3rd 4 2+1 1+1 — —
7th 4th 5 3+1 2+1 — —
8th 4th 5 3+1 2+1 — —
9th 4th 5 3+1 2+1 — —
10th 4th 5 3+1 2+1 — —
11th 5th 5 3+1 2+1 1+1 —
12th 5th 5 3+1 2+1 1+1 —
13th 5th 5 3+1 2+1 1+1 —
14th 5th 5 3+1 2+1 1+1 —
15th 6th 5 3+1 3+1 2+1 —
16th 7th 6 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
17th 7th 6 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
18th 7th 6 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
19th 7th 6 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
20th 7th 6 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1

Star Born Spells (Wizard)
Level Caster Level Spells per Day
0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th
1st — — — — — — — — —
2nd 1st 3 1 — — — — — —
3rd 2nd 4 2 — — — — — —
4th 2nd 4 2 — — — — — —
5th 2nd 4 2 — — — — — —
6th 3rd 4 2 1 — — — — —
7th 3rd 4 2 1 — — — — —
8th 4th 4 3 2 — — — — —
9th 5th 4 3 2 1 — — — —
10th 6th 4 3 3 2 — — — —
11th 6th 4 3 3 2 — — — —
12th 7th 4 4 3 2 1 — — —
13th 8th 4 4 3 3 2 — — —
14th 9th 4 4 4 3 2 1 — —
15th 9th 4 4 4 3 2 1 — —
16th 9th 4 4 4 3 2 1 — —
17th 10th 4 4 4 3 3 2 — —
18th 11th 4 4 4 4 3 2 1 —
19th 12th 4 4 4 4 3 3 2 —
20th 13th 4 4 4 4 4 3 2 1

Variant Rules

In order to represent his special training the star born may choose the following options rather than the normal abilities available to a cleric or wizard.

Divine Assistant (Su): Upon gaining 5th wizard level, the star born can elect to take Divine Assistant instead of the bonus feat normally gained at this level. The star born infuses his familiar with divine power, it immediately adopts the half-celestial or half-fiendish template, as appropriate to the elf’s alignment.

Arcane Healing (Sp): Upon gaining 10th wizard level, the star born can elect to take Arcane Healing instead of the bonus feat normally gained at this level. The star born learns how to blur the line between arcane and divine magic, gaining the ability to channel stored arcane spell energy into cure or inflict spells that he did not prepare ahead of time. The star born will cast cure or inflict as appropriate to his normal cleric spontaneous casting. The star born can channel any arcane spell that he has prepared into a cure or inflict spell with a spell level equal to one lower than the channelled spell’s level. For example, if the star born chooses to channel animate dead (a 4th level arcane spell) with Arcane Healing, he may spontaneously cast a cure spell of 3rd level or lower.

Sun Heart (Monk/ Transmuter)

At first glance the concept of an elven monk seems almost heretical. Elves wander in forests singing all day and dancing all night. Monks sit in contemplation of their own intrinsic power, avoid humour and swing a mean staff. The two should never meet, let alone be wrapped into a single character.

On closer examination the idea does not seem as improbable. Wizards and monks both focus on the manipulation of power. Wizards approach this pursuit from the outside, trying first to master the powers inherent in the world. Monks try to first master their own strength then use that power to alter the world around them. These two approaches actually complement each other quite well.

Due to the nature of the monk class, the would-be sun heart must start out his career as a wizard. After mastering 3rd level spells he turns his attention to the esoteric mysteries of the monkish orders. Although his spells per day will never improve beyond this point, the sun heart can continue to create scrolls or gather spells to enhance his magical abilities.

Strengths

A sun heart gains a number of advantages from combining basic magical training alongside the arts of the monk. These include:

Bonus Feats: Monks receive several bonus feats, greatly expanding their combat versatility. When combined with appropriate spells this gives the sun heart almost as much flexibility in combat as a true fighter.

Familiar: At 1st level the character gains a familiar. This companion acts as a second set of eyes for the sun heart, allowing him to focus more and more on his own internal journey.

Saving Throws: Wizards have favourable progression in Will saving throws. Monks have favourable progression in all three saving throws. This means that by 20th level the character has very high bonuses to resist most kinds of effects that may target him. Combine this with the evasion class feature and an elf’s generally high Dexterity and the sun heart becomes almost impossible to target with many spells and effects.

Skills: Monks receive a far wider selection of skills than a wizard and four skill points per level.
Combined with the character’s relatively high Intelligence this gives the sun heart a wide array of useful skills.

Tactical Movement: Although somewhat fragile, a skilled sun heart possesses the ability to move in and out of a combat situation at high speed. He can easily open and close range with his targets, protecting himself from attacks by simply withdrawing from threatened areas.

Transmutation Specialist: The sun heart gains bonus spells per day thanks to his specialisation in the Transmutation school.

Unarmoured Bonuses: A monk gains both his Wisdom modifier and a level based bonus to his unarmoured Armour Class. This greatly increases his protection without interfering with his ability to cast arcane spells.

Weaknesses

The sun heart also suffers from a number of issues related to his training. These include:

Abilities: Sun hearts rely on five of the six abilities for some advantage. Strength increases their ability to function in melee combat. Dexterity increases their Armour Class and gives them ranged attack options. Constitution helps to mitigate their otherwise abysmal hit points. Intelligence governs their spellcasting abilities. Wisdom affects the functionality of several of monk class abilities as well as providing an additional Armour Class bonus. When picking and choosing the Player should focus on Wisdom, Constitution, Dexterity and Intelligence in that order. The character will need at least an Intelligence of 13 to cast the 3rd level spells that make this multiclass option effective.

Base Attack Bonus: Wizards and monks do not progress quickly in terms of base attack bonus. By starting out as a wizard the character limits his initial usefulness in a fight. After 10th level this becomes less of an issue as the character’s flurry of blows ability begins to improve.

Forbidden Schools: As a specialist in the school of Transmutation, the sun heart must select two other schools of magic to ignore. Evocation presents an obvious first choice but the second poses a problem. Whatever choice he makes, the elf will have to give up a handful of useful spells. When selecting the second forbidden school avoid both Abjuration and Necromancy. Both schools provide several spells of considerable long term utility for the sun heart. Enchantment is a possibility, although both Illusion and Conjuration have fewer useful spells. At the same time, Illusion contains the impressively useful defensive spell mirror image, which greatly enhances the character’s chances of survival.

Hit Dice: Wizards advance in hit points using 1d4. Monks advance with a more robust d8. This means that at 6th level the sun heart will be rather fragile for a combatant. For his first few levels of monkish training he will most likely stand away from the main fighting, using his skills to defend himself or attack other spellcasters rather than wading in with the fighters.

The Sun Heart (Monk/Transmuter)

~Level	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special

1st Wiz 1 +0 +0 +0 +2 Scribe Scroll, summon familiar, (character feat)
2nd Wiz 2 +1 +0 +0 +3
3rd Wiz 3 +1 +1 +1 +3 (character feat)
4th Wiz 4 +2 +1 +1 +4 (ability increase)
5th Wiz 5 +2 +1 +1 +4 Bonus feat (wizard)
6th Mnk 1 +2 +3 +3 +6 Bonus feat (monk), flurry of blows, unarmed strike, (character feat)
7th Mnk 2 +3 +4 +4 +7 Bonus feat (monk), evasion
8th Mnk 3 +4 +4 +4 +7 Still mind (ability increase)
9th Mnk 4 +5 +5 +5 +8 Ki strike (magic), slow fall 20 ft., (character feat)
10th Mnk 5 +5 +5 +5 +8 Purity of body
11th Mnk 6 +6/+1 +6 +6 +9 Bonus feat (monk), slow fall 30 ft.
12th Mnk 7 +7/+2 +6 +6 +9 Wholeness of body, (character feat), (ability increase)
13th Mnk 8 +8/+3 +7 +7 +10 Slow fall 40 ft.
14th Mnk 9 +8/+3 +7 +7 +10 Improved evasion
15th Mnk 10 +9/+4 +8 +8 +11 Ki strike (lawful), slow fall 50 ft., (character feat)
16th Mnk 11 +10/+5 +8 +8 +11 Diamond body, greater flurry, (ability increase)
17th Mnk 12 +11/+6/+1 +9 +9 +12 Abundant step, slow fall 60 ft.
18th Mnk 13 +11/+6/+1 +9 +9 +12 Diamond soul, (character feat)
19th Mnk 14 +12/+7/+2 +10 +10 +13 Slow fall 70 ft.
20th Mnk 15 +13/+8/+3 +10 +10 +13 Quivering palm, (ability increase)

Recommended Options

As the character combines both wizard and monk training he may wish to consider the following options:

Although most Players dearly love the Evocation school, giving it up makes a great deal of sense for a sun heart. This decision initially limits the character’s offensive potential, but in the long run the character gets more utility out of Divination, Enchantment and Necromancy than he ever will out of an occasional weak fireball.

If the character selects Dodge at 3rd level and Mobility at 6th he can select the all-important Spring Attack feat at 9th. Spring Attack allows the sun heart to move, attack and then move again to the limit of his base movement rate. Proper use of this ability along with the expeditious retreat spell allows the character to attack his targets with relative impunity.

As both a wizard and a low level monk the character should take advantage of his racial proficiency with the longbow. A handful of arrows will often serve the character better than a single damaging spell.

Sun hearts must be willing to reconfigure their prepared spell list based on the latest available information. Although they have a limited number of spells, the 1st to 3rd level spell list contains a variety of ‘utility’ spells that assist the character to do more than just blast his way though opponents. Protections, divinations and even animate rope all provide the character with a wide range of options.

Recommended prepared spells (for a 5th level wizard): 0 level – arcane mark, detect magic, mage hand, resistance: 1st level – enlarge person, expeditious retreat, magic weapon, shield; 2nd level – bear’s endurance, bull’s strength, mirror image; 3rd level – greater magic weapon, keen edge.

Sun Heart Spells/Monk Abilities
Level Monk Level Unarmed Damage Move Bonus AC bonus Flurry of Blows Caster Level Spells per day 0 1st 2nd 3rd
1st — — — — — 1st 3+1 1+1 — —
2nd — — — — — 2nd 4+1 2+1 — —
3rd — — — — — 3rd 4+1 2+1 1+1 —
4th — — — — — 4th 4+1 3+1 2+1 —
5th — — — — — 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
6th 1st 1d6 +0 ft. +0 +0/+0 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
7th 2nd 1d6 +0 ft. +0 +1/+1 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
8th 3rd 1d6 +10 ft. +0 +2/+2 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
9th 4th 1d8 +10 ft. +0 +3/+3 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
10th 5th 1d8 +10 ft. +1 +4/+4 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
11th 6th 1d8 +20 ft. +1 +5/+5/+0 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
12th 7th 1d8 +20 ft. +1 +6/+6/+1 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
13th 8th 1d10 +20 ft. +1 +7/+7/+2 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
14th 9th 1d10 +30 ft. +1 +8/+8/+3 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
15th 10th 1d10 +30 ft. +2 +9/+9/+4 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
16th 11th 1d10 +30 ft. +2 +10/+10/+10/+5 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
17th 12th 2d6 +40 ft. +2 +11/+11/+11/+6/+1 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
18th 13th 2d6 +40 ft. +2 +11/+11/+11/+6/+1 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
19th 14th 2d6 +40 ft. +2 +12/+12/+12/+7/+2 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1
20th 15th 2d6 +50 ft. +3 +13/+13/+13/+8/+3 5th 4+1 3+1 2+1 1+1

Variant Rules

In order to represent his special training the sun heart may choose the following options rather than the normal abilities available to a wizard or monk.

Elven Archery (Ex): Upon gaining 2nd monk level, the sun heart can elect to take Elven Archery instead of the bonus feat normally gained at this level. A sun heart with Elven Archery may use his flurry of blows class feature when wielding a longbow or shortbow (including composite versions, but not mighty bows of either type).

Elven Soul (Ex): Upon gaining 5th monk level, the sun heart can elect to take Elven Soul instead of the wholeness of body class feature normally gained at this level. The character becomes immune to Enchantment spells and effects – note that this includes beneficial spells as the elf has no control over his immunity. A side effect of this ability is that other elves tend to view the sun heart as odd – despite their resistance to enchantment, it is still normal for elves to express awe and become dazzled by normal and magical events. The sun heart incurs a –1 penalty on all Charisma based social checks with other elves.

Elven Blade (Ex): Upon gaining 6th monk level, the sun heart can elect to take Elven Blade instead of the bonus feat normally gained at this level. A sun heart with elven blade may use his flurry of blows class feature when wielding a longsword. He may freely exchange unarmed attacks and sword strikes as part of the flurry.

Elven Body (Ex): Upon gaining 11th monk level, the sun heart can elect to take Elven Body instead of the diamond body class feature normally gained at this level. When a sun heart with this ability casts a Transmutation school spell on himself, he casts it at his character level rather than his wizard level.