Sage (4e Class)

{{As a sort of preface, I'd just like to say that I do not want to litter the DnD Wiki with another useless class. I will try my best to finish this but I know it won't be enough, so I'm trying to say that I'm asking for help. My weakness is powers and feats, so I will accept any attempt to add feats, and powers to this class. If you want to edit this class directly, simply know that it loosely draws inspiration from the Sorcerers in the "Souls" mythos from the eponymous series of video games by Hidetaka Miyazaki}}

Sage

“	Understanding the spirit is the first key to the Soul Arts. If the Spirit is understood, than it can be harnessed, and the soul can be used to influence the physical world.	”
—Sage Londarte, An Introduction to the Soul Arts

Class Traits

Role: Striker. You manipulate souls to deal massive damage and cause debilitation. You lean towards either Controller or Leader as secondary roles.

Power Source: Arcane. Your power comes from the understanding of the Soul, a sort of inner energy stemming from your will. The methods by which this is learned is reminiscent of tireless Arcane study, but no energy from fabric of the universe aids in your spells: Your power is purely your own.

Key Abilities: Wisdom, Charisma, Intelligence

Armor Proficiencies: Cloth

Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee, simple ranged

Implements: Wands, Staffs

Bonus to Defense: +2 Will

Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + Constitution score

Hit Points per Level Gained: 5

Healing Surges per Day: 6 + Constitution modifier

Trained Skills: From the class skills list below, choose 4 trained skills at 1st level. Class Skills: Arcana, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering, Heal, History, Insight, Nature, Perception, Religion, Streetwise

Build Options: Embraced Sage, Meticulous Sage

Class Features: Soul Magic, Spiritual Understanding, Cantrips

Sages are spell-casters of an utterly different nature. Through study, training, and no small amount of luck, they have learned to draw upon the power of their own souls to fuel their spells, through a method of arcane magic known as Soul Arts. Through their arts they are able to call upon spells of immutable power, causing great devastation through unnatural forces. Like wizards, their power is attained through rigorous theory and analysis, but more akin to sorcerers, that power is fueled by the spirit of the Sage. This does not mean that the Soul Arts are bound to bloodlines, like Sorcery, but the power is stable, and limited by a person's will, not their lineage. By fueling their power with emotion, the spell manifests as fire, the purest physical expression of emotion. Through discipline and control, a Sage can call upon the energy of their Soul directly, instead of allowing it to pass through them unfiltered. Alternatively, by embracing their ambitions and lust for power, a Sage can call the Abyss into existence through their spells.

Sage Overview

Characteristics: Overall, you specialize in killing enemies with efficiency. Fire spells will give you wider areas of effect, with more persistent and situational abilities. Soul abilities tend to be more direct, both in terms of damage and support. Abyssal magic more or less highlights the negative aspects of the previous two. You try your best to avoid attacks, as you are not very durable, but most likely the enemy will die before they can get to you.

Religion: Due to their intimate understanding of the Soul, the source of all life, Sages tend to view deities with a sense of detachment, devoting loose faith to more involved and pragmatic gods such as Ioun, the Raven Queen, or Mephistopheles.

Races: Kalashtar, Devas, and Githzerai are naturally inclined sages, due to their clamoring for discipline and emotional exploration. Teiflings, Drow, and Humans find themselves on the path of the Sage more often than not, due to their diligence, lust for knowledge, and curiosity.

Creating a Sage

Sages often find themselves lobbed into two categories: Those that explore the Soul Arts more philosophically by embracing more profound, emotional matters, and those that devote hours upon hours to the study of their craft. The Embraced Sages find themselves more drawn to the emotional Pyromancy that Sages are so famous for, while those more Meticulous Sages attempt to understand every aspect of the Soul Arts, especially the complicated and alluring Abyss. Both of these groups, sometimes as a byproduct, have an intimate understanding of the Soul itself.

Embraced Sage

You specialize in dealing plenty of damage while also casting supportive spells on yourself and your allies, enhancing your abilities to avoid harm. Wisdom is a primary stat for you, as it is the basis on which your spells are cast. This should be followed up by Charisma, to better enhance the secondary effects of your Fire spells. Intelligence is important if you ever want to take an Abyssal spell, otherwise it's more or less useless.

Suggested Feat: Surging Flames (Human Feat: Durable)

Suggested Skills: Diplomacy, Dungeoneering, Heal, Perception

Suggested At-Will Powers: Fiery Surge, Soul Arrow

Suggested Encounter Power: Pillar of Flame

Suggested Daily Power: Shifting Lights

Meticulous Sage

You take things in stride, focusing on one thing at a time, while placing debilitating effects on others to prevent them from getting at you. Wisdom is always important for a Sage, and should be your primary stat, followed by Intelligence to augment your Abyss spells. Charisma should be your tertiary score in case you want to use more fire magic.

Suggested Feat: Implement Expertise (Human Feat:Improved Initiative)

Suggested Skills: Arcana, Dungeoneering, History, Nature

Suggested At-Will Powers: Minor Bead, Soul Arrow

Suggested Encounter Power: Dark Orb

Suggested Daily Power: Soul Ray

Sage Class Features

All Sages share these class features.

Soul Magic: Some of your powers deal 'Soul' damage. Soul damage is treated as Force or Necrotic damage in terms of resistance, and is treated as Psychic or Radiant damage in terms of vulnerability. For example, this damage is resisted by creatures with Force or Necrotic resistance, and creatures that are vulnerable to Radiant or Psychic damage are also vulnerable to Soul damage.

Spiritual Understanding: You have an additional bonus equal to your wisdom modifier when detecting magic in a radius of five squares. You must take the Soul Arrow at-will power.

Cantrips: You may take the Ghost Sound and Light Wizard Cantrips as additional at-will power at 1st level.

Powers

Sages' powers are called spells and are the main method by which they attack using the Soul Arts. A list can be found at Sage Powers (4e Power List).

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