Battlemage Build

Magic can be subtle, casting from a point of safety with precision and finesse, but for those who shape it into a weapon and wield it with brute force, it’s all about cutting a swath of destruction. These casters are less concerned with manipulation and control, focusing instead on maximizing the effects of their attack spells. Likewise, they don’t typically have quiet or mousey personalities, knowing how to make an entrance, draw the attention of the room, and put themselves right in the middle of everything. They carry a big stick and want to make sure that everyone knows it, living right on the edge of confidence and arrogance, rarely opting for a solution that doesn’t include blasting their way through the problem at hand.

Build Notes

Because the devotion to magic is costly, these casters start with very few skills and will be forced to rely on their spells for survival. Collecting allies and standing as far back in combat as possible are among their best strategies. While they have only one specialty tree with a handful of Novice skills, they must balance purchasing survival skills vs spells as they advance before reaching Expert character rank, as Expert and Master skills will likely take over this focus at later levels.

Background

With the Savant Caster role, some optional Background Packages work better than others, to get started, six  recommendations are listed below:

  • Burgher
  • Citizen
  • Clergy
  • Outcast
  • Recluse
  • Scholar

Skill Trees

Wizardry
(30 + 8 skills = 38 points)
• Casting
• Descry
• Layering, Passive
• Archivist
• Bookbinding
• Scribing
• Language – Magic
• Literacy – Magic

Vigilance
(2 skills = 2 points)
• Concentrate
• Listening

Starting Gear

Savant Casters begin play with a spellbook and the clothes on their back, the quality of which is based on the starting wealth class. Because starting wealth class plays a significant role in what gear these characters will begin with, part of their background should address this starting financial situation. These packs do not have a specific monetary value, rather they are designed to ensure that starting characters have the basic gear they need to begin play. Substitutes for items of a roughly equal value may be made with GM approval.

These characters are scraping by, living in communal areas when they can and sleeping on the ground when they can’t, with just enough money to manage a decent meal…on most days. Their meager possessions amount to:

  • Peasant Clothes
  • Spellbook (Poor)
  • 3 local coins

Although hardworking, these characters have little to show for it, living in a semi-private communal area. Their careworn possessions include:

  • Artisan Clothes
  • Spellbook
  • Artisan Kit – Book (Poor)
  • Explorers Pack (Poor)
  • 25 local coins

Coming from a family of skilled tradespeople, low level civil servants, or lifelong military service, these characters have decent lodgings and a comfortable lifestyle. Their gear is fairly new and includes:

  • Traveling Clothes
  • Spellbook
  • Artisan Kit – Book (Standard)
  • Explorers Pack (Standard)
  • 100 local coins

Coming from a family of landowners, business people, or mid level civil servants, wealth and power has long been a part of how they define themselves among their peers. This attitude shows in their gear which includes:

  • Mage Robes
  • Spellbook
  • Artisan Kit – Book (Masterwork)
  • Rucksack
  • Explorers Pack (Standard)
  • 250 local coins

Coming from a lifestyle of luxury beyond anything that most people can imagine, the very best is the only quality they will accept, which includes:

  • Mage Robes
  • Spellbook
  • Artisan Kit – Book (Masterwork)
  • Courier Bag
  • Explorers Pack (Masterwork)
  • 750 local coins
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