Thaumaturge

The Thaumaturge is willing to go places most other casters wouldn't dare to tread. Their agreements give them access to ancient and forbidden knowledge, and they're capable of using it to great effect. Each Thaumaturge chooses their own pursuit, and while they tend to specialize, there's many things they can specialize in.

Role: A thaumaturge is a focused caster, often choosing at most one or two specialties, but using those specialties in ways no other caster could. A thaumaturge’s role depends on what spheres and talents he chooses, and as such a thaumaturge could deal damage, heal allies, or manipulate enemies with equal ability.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d8

Starting Wealth: 3d6 x 10 gp (average 105 gp). In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.

Class Skills: The thaumaturge’s class skills are Craft (Int), Disguise (Cha), Diplomacy (Cha), Fly (Int), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all; Int), Linguistics (Int), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Ranks Per Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features

Table: The Thaumaturge

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Caster Level	Magic Talents
1	0	+0	+0	+2	Forbidden lore (+2), invocations	+1	0 (+2)
2	+1	+0	+0	+3	Occult knowledge +1	+2	1
3	+2	+1	+1	+3	Invocations	+3	1
4	+3	+1	+1	+4	Bonus feat	+4	2
5	+3	+1	+1	+4	Forbidden lore (+3)	+5	2
6	+4	+2	+2	+5	Occult knowledge +2	+6	3
7	+5	+2	+2	+5	Invocations	+7	3
8	+6/+1	+2	+2	+6	Bonus feat	+8	4
9	+6/+1	+3	+3	+6	Forbidden lore (+4)	+9	4
10	+7/+2	+3	+3	+7	Occult knowledge +3	+10	5
11	+8/+3	+3	+3	+7	Invocations	+11	5
12	+9/+4	+4	+4	+8	Bonus feat	+12	6
13	+9/+4	+4	+4	+8	Forbidden lore (+5)	+13	6
14	+10/+5	+4	+4	+9	Occult knowledge +4	+14	7
15	+11/+6/+1	+5	+5	+9	Invocations	+15	7
16	+12/+7/+2	+5	+5	+10	Bonus feat	+16	8
17	+12/+7/+2	+5	+5	+10	Forbidden lore (+6)	+17	8
18	+13/+8/+3	+6	+6	+11	Occult knowledge +5	+18	9
19	+14/+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	Invocations	+19	9
20	+15/+10/+5	+6	+6	+12	Bonus feat, master invoker	+20	10

Weapon and Armor Training

A thaumaturge is proficient with all simple weapons and light armor.

Casting

A thaumaturge may combine spheres and talents to create magical effects. A thaumaturge is considered a High-Caster. He may use either Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as his casting ability modifier and must make this choice at 1st level. Once made, this choice cannot be changed. (Note: All casters gain 2 bonus talents and may select a casting tradition the first time they gain the casting class feature.)

Spell Pool

A thaumaturge gains a small reservoir of energy he can call on to create truly wondrous effects, called a spell pool. This pool contains a number of spell points equal to his level + his casting ability modifier (minimum: 1). This pool replenishes once per day after roughly 8 hours of rest.

Magic Talents

A thaumaturge gains a magic talent at 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter, according to Table: Thaumaturge.

Forbidden Lore

Thaumaturges use bargains, secrets, and dangerous magical practices to push their casting to greater heights than their more careful contemporaries achieve. A thaumaturge may, as part of the action required to use a spell or sphere effect, increase his caster level by 2 for that effect. This applies to variables dependent on a particular casting of an effect (damage, duration, number of targets etc.), but it does not apply to the caster’s total caster level with that sphere (i.e., it does not determine the strength of a companion from the Conjuration sphere, nor to the total number of HD of reanimated creatures that may be controlled through the Death sphere). This bonus increases by +1 at 5th level, and by an additional +1 for every 4 levels thereafter to a maximum of +6 at 17th level.

Whenever a thaumaturge uses forbidden lore to enhance their magic, there is a 15% chance the thaumaturge will suffer backlash; the spell or sphere effect does not manifest, and any spell slot or spell points spent are lost. In addition, the thaumaturge suffers a -1 penalty to attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and to their effective caster level (minimum: 1), which lasts until he rests to regain spell points. This penalty is cumulative; every time the thaumaturge suffers backlash in a day, these penalties increase by 1.

Invocations

Thaumaturges control power in its purest form; whether through bargains with outsiders, the summoning of primal spirits, or simply an untamable spark in their soul, a thaumaturge can invoke a limited amount of truly wondrous power.

A thaumaturge may use invocations a number of times per day equal to his casting ability modifier, which refreshes when he rests to regain spell points. Whenever an invocation calls for a saving throw, the DC is equal to 10 + 1/2 the thaumaturge’s level + the thaumaturge’s casting ability modifier. A thaumaturge may only use invocations of his level or lower. Using an invocation is a free action that may be taken even when it isn't the Thaumaturge's turn.

Meditation

At 1st level, the thaumaturge may reroll a failed Knowledge check. The thaumaturge may only use this ability once for any given Knowledge check.

Lingering Pain

At 1st level, when using forbidden lore to augment a spell or sphere effect, the thaumaturge may use an invocation to cause the affected targets to become sickened for 1 round (Fortitude negates).

Lingering Blessing

At 1st level, when using forbidden lore to augment a spell or sphere effect, the thaumaturge may use an invocation to cause the affected targets to gain 1 temporary hit point per thaumaturge level. These temporary hit points stack with any the target already possesses, and last for 1 round.

Empowered Defense

At 3rd level, when using forbidden lore to augment a spell or sphere effect, the thaumaturge may use an invocation to grant himself a dodge bonus to AC equal to his forbidden lore bonus for a number of rounds equal to his casting ability modifier.

Empowered Attack

At 3rd level, when using forbidden lore to augment a spell or sphere effect, the thaumaturge may use an invocation to grant himself a bonus to attack rolls equal to his forbidden lore bonus for a number of rounds equal to his casting ability modifier.

Channel Punishment

At 7th level, if the thaumaturge suffers backlash when using forbidden lore, he may use an invocation to pass the penalty off to another creature within 30 ft. If that creature is unwilling, they are allowed a Will save to negate this effect. On a successful save, the thaumaturge suffers the effect of the backlash as normal. Defensive Invocation: At 7th level, before making a saving throw, the thaumaturge may use an invocation to add his forbidden lore bonus to the roll.

Soulfire

At 11th level, when the thaumaturge suffers backlash from using forbidden lore, he may use an invocation to empower himself. He gains a bonus to attack rolls, saving throws, and a dodge bonus to AC equal to his forbidden lore bonus for a number of rounds equal to his casting ability modifier. This does not negate the penalty gained through the backlash itself.

Item Lore

At 11th level, the thaumaturge may use an invocation to add his forbidden lore bonus to the caster level of a spell-completion or spell-trigger magic item he is wielding for 1 round. This bonus only functions while the item is being wielded by the thaumaturge.

Empowered Resistance

At 15th level, if the thaumaturge successfully makes a saving throw against an attack that has a reduced effect on a successful save, he may use an invocation to negate the effect entirely.

Flexible Caster

At 15th level, the thaumaturge may use an invocation to gain use of a single magic talent of his choice for 1 minute. A thaumaturge may only have one use of flexible caster active at any one time; using this invocation again replaces the previous use.

Rebuke Death

At 19th level, when the thaumaturge is reduced to 0 hit points or fewer, the thaumaturge may use all his remaining invocations to instead be reduced to 1 hit point. Effects that kill the thaumaturge outright without dealing hit point damage are not affected by this ability.

Occult Knowledge

At 2nd level, a thaumaturge gains a +1 bonus to all Knowledge checks, Spellcraft checks, and Use Magic Device checks. This bonus increases by 1 for every 4 additional thaumaturge levels possessed, to a maximum of +5 at 18th level.

Bonus Feats

At 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter, a thaumaturge gains a bonus feat. This may be spent to gain an extra magic talent, or any feat which has casting as a prerequisite (Craft Item feats, Metamagic feats, Sphere Focus, Circle Casting, etc.).

Master Invoker

At 20th level, the thaumaturge selects two invocations other than rebuke death; he may use these invocations at will without using one of his invocations per day.

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Favored Class Bonuses

Aasimar

Increase the temporary hit points granted by Lingering Blessing by +1/2.

Dwarf

Increase the duration of Empowered Defense by 1/4th of a round.

Elf

+1/6 bonus to the thaumaturge’s Occult Knowledge bonuses.

Gnome

Reduce the thaumaturge’s Forbidden Lore backlash percent chance by 1/4th of a percent.

Goblin

Gain +1/4th of a spell point.

Half-Elf

Gain +1/6th of a bonus magic talent.

Half-orc

Increase the duration of Empowered Offense by 1/4th of a round.

Halfling

Gain +1/4th of a daily use of Invocations.

Human

Increase the thaumaturge’s Forbidden Lore bonus by +1/8, but increase the backlash percentage chance by 5% for every 8 times this is gained.

Merfolk

Increase the save DCs of the thaumaturge’s Invocations by +1/6.

Orc

Whenever the thaumaturge uses the Nature sphere to deal damage (for example, increasing a fire’s size or using a tree to pummel a target), increase the damage dealt by +1/2.

Tiefling

Increase the duration of the Lingering Pain Invocation by 1/4th of a round.

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Archetypes

-Devourer

A devourer has a higher chance of a backlash from using their Forbidden Lore skill during normal times, but can use it with no chance of backlash at all after they steal some of a foe's energy.

-Eldritch Cultist

The Eldritch Cultist has no chance of losing their magic, but may become confused as their minds tap into dangerous knowledge. They also gain some talent with Divination to help them understand more of the world around them.

-Experimentalist

The experimentalist exchanges their forbidden knowledge for the secrets of alchemy, as well as the ability to gain power from consuming parts of other creatures. (Alternate options are available for those concerned about the morality of this.)

-Pactmage

The Pactmage has a partnership with some kind of outsider, which grants them unique invocations in return for the loss of their occult knowledge.

-Soulfire Master

The Soulfire Master accepts damage to their vitality to ensure their spells finish correctly, eventually growing more adept at doing so.

-Unseen Horror

The Unseen Horror is the master of a lurking force that hovers around them, and they can eventually learn to improve its powers so it can help them in new ways.

-Void Gazer

The Void Gazer gains mastery of the Dark sphere, though at the cost of some of their sight.

Archetype Compatibility

	Weapon & Armor Proficiencies	Magic Talents	Forbidden Lore	Invocations	Occult Knowledge	Bonus Feats	Master Invoker
Devourer			M
Eldritch Cultist			M
Experimentalist		M	X	X	X	M
Pactmage					X
Soulfire Master			M1			M
Unseen Horror						M
Void Gazer			M	M

^{Guide: M = Modifies, X = Replaces, Blank = No Change
1: Unlike most modifications made by archetypes, the change made by the Soulfire Master to its Forbidden Lore feature does stack with other archetypes that change the backlash risk.}