Stormcaster (re-write) (3.5e Prestige Class)
Stormcaster
| “ | "My breath is the wind. My heartbeat, the thunder. My fury,
the lightning. To test my wrath is to test the very forces of the storm, to your peril." |
” |
—Tamask Laryn, master stormcaster
Many things in nature have drawn the attention of the seeker of the arcane—the elements, the nature of the unseen world, the weaving of illusions. The stormcaster is one who seeks to tap into the power of a strange and terrifying phenomenon: the raging storm.Many things in nature have drawn the attention of the seeker of the arcane—the elements, the nature of the unseen world, the weaving of illusions. The stormcaster is one who seeks to tap into the power of a strange and terrifying phenomenon: the raging storm.
Becoming a Stormcaster
Many things in nature have drawn the attention of the seeker of the arcane—the elements, the nature of the unseen world, the weaving of illusions. The stormcaster is one who seeks to tap into the power of a strange and terrifying phenomenon: the raging storm. Many things in nature have drawn the attention of the seeker of the arcane—the elements, the nature of the unseen world, the weaving of illusions. The stormcaster is one who seeks to tap into the power of a strange and terrifying phenomenon: the raging storm.
| Alignment: | Any nonlawful. |
|---|---|
| Skills: | Knowledge (arcana) 7 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 7 ranks, Spellcraft 7 ranks |
| Feats: | Skill Focus(Spellcraft). |
| Special: | Ability to cast Gust of Wind and Lightning Bolt or Call Lightning. |
| Level | Base Attack Bonus |
Saving Throws | Special | Spellcasting | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort | Ref | Will | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1st | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | Fury of the Storm | +1 level of existing spell-casting class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2nd | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Shield of Winds | +1 level of existing spell-casting class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | Spell Focus (Evocation) | +1 level of existing spell-casting class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4th | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | Eye of the Storm | +1 level of existing spell-casting class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5th | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | Thunderforce | +1 level of existing spell-casting class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6th | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | Spell Focus (Conjuration) | +1 level of existing spell-casting class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7th | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | Quell the Power of Raging Winds | +1 level of existing spell-casting class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8th | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 | Knowledge of the Storm | +1 level of existing spell-casting class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9th | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | Storm Calling | +1 level of existing spell-casting class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10th | 5 | 3 | 3 | 7 | Lord of the Storm | +1 level of existing spell-casting class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Stormcaster.
Spellcasting: At each level, you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one <-divine? arcane? prepared? spontaneous?-> spellcasting class before becoming a <-class name->, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.
Fury of the Storm (Ex): You are truly skilled in the use of spells that wield the power of the stormy seas. Any spell you cast that has the air, electricity, sonic, or water descriptor is cast at +2 caster level.
Shield of Winds (Ex): At 2nd level your knowledge of the storm allows you to harness the fury of the winds to protect yourself. You gain a deflection bonus to your armor class equal to half your Stormcaster level rounded down, but only while in stormy conditions (Cloudy, raining, duststorm, blizzard, or a large air elemental in whirlwind form).
Spell Focus (Evocation): At 3rd level your knowledge of the storm and its fury allows you to increase the power of all your Evocation effects. You gain Spell Focus (Evocation) as a bonus feat.
Eye of the Storm (Ex): Even in a storm, the winds whipping around you seem to leave you unaffected. Beginning at 4th level, you ignore the penalties associated with ranged attack rolls and Listen checks due to high winds (see page 95 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). Actions that are impossible in high winds (such as using ranged attacks in winds above 50 mph) are still impossible. At 8th level, you gain the ability to share this protection with any number of allies within 30 feet. Granting (or removing) this benefit from any number of allies is a free action.
Thunderforce (Ex): Beginning at 5th level, you use your knowledge of the storm to add the power of thunder to your lightning-based spells. Any spell you cast that deals electricity damage also deals an extra 1 point of sonic damage per spell level and stuns any creature damaged by the spell for 1 round (Fortitude save negates; DC equals the save DC of the spell, even if the spell wouldn't normally allow a save).
Spell Focus (Conjuration): At 6th level your connection with the power of the storm extends to all of your spells of the Conjuration school granting you Spell Focus (Conjuration) as a bonus feat.
Quell the Power of Raging Winds (Ex): As your connection to the storm grows stronger its effects hinder you less. At 7th level you become immune to the effects of winds of Hurricane force or lower. You may cast spells and act normally and any spells you cast or weapons you hold are unaffected by the winds. Ranged attacks, such as arrows from a bow, however are still affected normally.
Knowledge of the Storm (Ex): At 8th level you gain the ability to manifest aspects of the storm that you could not before. Add three spells to your spell list from the Druid, Cleric, or Sorceror/Wizard spell lists. The spells may be of any level that you can cast and may be from any of the three lists however they must either be of the Air, Lightning, Sonic, or Water descriptors or otherwise produce a storm related effect (DM's discretion).
Storm Calling (Sp): At 9th level you can produce an effect similar to the spell Control Weather except that it affects only a 1 mile radius and you must meditate for half an hour without interruption to manifest the effect. During the time you are meditating the weather around your location slowly begins to shift toward the desired effect but it does not start to fully manifest until 10 minutes before you finish meditating. If you are interrupted in these last 10 minutes the effect is still disrupted. If you are disturbed you must make a Concentration check to maintain your focus, failure means that the effect does not manifest and you must begin meditating again.
Lord of the Storm (Ex): At 10th level your mastery of the storm is complete, you become immune to the effects of high winds moving through the strongest winds as easily as you might walk through a clear day. Flying debris misses you, dust and rain swirl around you but your clothing remains dry and spotless, and lightning arcs away from you. You are never struck by wind blown debris during a storm (a Gust of Wind spell could still hurl debris at you as normal though the winds themselves would not affect you) and natural lightning strikes and rain don't come near you unless you allow them to (this does not allow you to direct lightning in a storm but it does allow you to be struck as normal or soaked by rain). This protection extends to the acid rain effect of a Storm of Vengeance spell and grants a +5 bonus on saves against its other effects. You also add Storm of Vengeance to your spell list if you can not already cast it.
Playing a Stormcaster
As a stormcaster, you are most at home when the winds howl, lightning cuts the sky, and thunder shakes the very ground beneath you. There is something primal within you that is happiest in the midst of these great storms, and you have turned your formidable powers toward understanding and deepening that kinship. You believe that the peace that most people seek is a falsehood, an illusion of security in a world that provides none. Better by far to seek shelter in the midst of the raging torrent and become one with it. As a stormcaster, you are most at home when the winds howl, lightning cuts the sky, and thunder shakes the very ground beneath you. There is something primal within you that is happiest in the midst of these great storms, and you have turned your formidable powers toward understanding and deepening that kinship. You believe that the peace that most people seek is a falsehood, an illusion of security in a world that provides none. Better by far to seek shelter in the midst of the raging torrent and become one with it. Stormcasters who take to adventuring usually do so as a means of funding their research and so they can be among those who aren’t immediately afraid of them. NPC stormcasters are always impressive figures. Some are terrible creatures who wield the storms at their command as weapons, threatening and destroying those who defy them, while others are simply hermits with odd interests and abilities.
Combat: You possess some of the most formidable combat spells available, such as lightning bolt, call lightning, ice storm, or even a fireball transmuted into an explosion of lightning through the Energy Substitution feat (described in Complete Arcane). Protect yourself through spells such as protection from energy so that you don’t have to be concerned with your own lightning effects. The ability to augment them through metamagic feats (especially Empower Spell and Widen Spell) is highly desirable, so don’t hesitate to do so. In combat, keep in mind that while you are likely to be out of the way casting spells into the fray, your allies are apt to be right in the middle of it. Protect those who are most likely to find themselves in the middle of your lightning spells with a protection from energy spell. Indeed, it might be wise to invest in a wand of protection from energy. Do note, however, that any archers in your group are unlikely to thank you for making their job more dif- ficult through the strong winds with which you usually surround yourself. A stormcaster’s most advantageous combat location is flying in the middle of a howling storm. Your spells are harder to resist because of the call storm ability and you are nearly impossible to hit with ranged attacks due to the high winds. You, on the other hand, benefit greatly from those winds—you might even find it useful to invest in some ranged attack spells for just these situations.
Advancement: There is no single origin story for a stormcaster. Some might have had the secrets of the class told to them by a creature of the storm, a friendly elemental, or the servant of a storm god. Many sorcerers simply awaken to their own potential. Others felt the call to enter a storm and found an experienced stormcaster there, reveling in the heart of the terrible gale. Stormcasters actively seek out storms, or even create them, in order to understand their powers and abilities. As a result, they find it difficult to live in civilized areas, since most people aren’t interested in having a storm-summoner as a neighbor. As you increase in level, you will find it beneficial to prepare for your big battles. Certainly, your arrival being presaged by a massive storm could tip off the foe, but you command the upper hand in such a situation. Keep to the air when you can, and invest in the Extend Spell feat. Do your spellcasting from on high, which will keep you out of the reach of most of your enemy’s attacks.
Resources: Very little support is to be had from other stormcasters, save for a certain kinship of the like-minded. On the other hand, a wand of protection from energy will greatly benefit you and those you work closely with, allowing you to cut loose with your truly destructive magics while leaving your allies relatively unaffected. Stormcasters capable of creating magic items usually create a stormrider cloak (see page 134).
Stormcasters in the World
The stormcaster is a figure of strange yet attractive power—no one can deny the incredible primal force of the storm, and it is a pleasing thought to imagine controlling that kind of power. . A stormcaster can fulfill a variety of roles, from the strange hermit on a stormy mountaintop to the mage who wanders into town at the onset of a hurricane and is gone with the winds. Stormcasters make not just good villains but also enigmatic figures who possess secrets that the PCs might want but must brave the storm to find.
NPC Reactions:
Stormcaster Lore
Characters with ranks in <-the appropriate skills-> can research <-insert prestige class name-> to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.
| DC | Result |
|---|---|
| 11 | <-not so common knowledge->. |
| 16 | <-rare information->. |
| 21 | <-very rare information->. |
| 26 | <-information so obscure that members of this class might not even know it->. |
Stormcasters in the Game
<-How characters of this class fit in the game (PC and NPC) and what roles they play->
Adaptation: <-Fitting this class in your campaign->
Sample Encounter: <-DM placement for NPC of this class->
EL whatever: <-Encounter scenario and character info on sample NPC including stat block. The CR of the NPC is typically the same as the EL for the encounter->
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