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Complete
Arcane Classes
Wizards of the Coast
released Complete Arcane in November 2004 as the third in its
line of "Complete" class-oriented supplemental sourcebooks.
Complete Arcane offers a setting-neutral guide to magic and magic-oriented
characters. This article proposes specific placement for Complete
Arcane classes and prestige classes in Eberron.
While the book's
content is designed to be compatible with any campaign setting, Eberron presents
unique challenges and opportunities for arcane prestige classes. Despite
the prevalence of low-level magic in Khorvaire,
high-level magic is rare among the common races. Therefore, heroic arcane
characters are less likely to enter a prestige class through membership
in an organization. Instead, prestige classes are often attained by
studying enemy organizations, ancient non-humanoid magic, or through
independent realization of arcane secrets.
Remember, the recommendations
here are just suggestions. If a character is working toward a prestige
class, the player and DM should work together to determine the best
place for a prestige class in your campaign. Prestige classes, particularly
in Eberron, are best used sparingly. Introduce them in a way that deepens
your game’s lore rather than dilutes it.
Basic Classes
Warlock
"Beware the easy path to power, warlock. If your pride doesn't bring
you down, the Gatekeepers will."
 Warlocks are spellcasters
who draw power from the planes themselves. Just as psions
draw upon the from the planes of Dal
Quor or Xoriat, warlocks
channel the raw energies of Thelanis, Kythri, or Shavarath. Their
eldritch blasts and invocations channel the arcane strength of fiends and
fey. There are several types of warlock in Eberron, though all are extremely
rare. Some have a family heritage touched by outsiders or native fiends,
others have made bargains with fiends or fey, and some were simply born
during a planar coterminous period. A few have found that they can unlock a
warlock's abilities by wounding themselves, then exposing themselves to a
powerful manifest zone. Regardless of their origin, warlocks are distrusted
by those who understand their nature. In particular, druids are concerned
that warlock magic destabilizes the planes; certain Gatekeepers believe this problem
should be addressed directly and violently.
Warmage
"Magic is not solely the province of geniuses and savants. With
enough discipline, nearly anyone can harness it. Give me a few of your
brightest soldiers and your hardiest magewrights,
and I will return to you a unit of warmages."
During the Last War, nations turned to military magic to
break stalemates and supplement traditional warfare. In 968 YK, Aundair's
Knights Arcane realized that fragile young spellcasters
could learn to cast spells in armor if given the proper training early
in their careers. In Karrnath, warmages were trained
first in combat, then instructed in the use
of simple spells. The practice spread to other nations, though warmages never became a significant part of any force. House
Cannith actually commanded the largest force
of warmages during the Last War: warforged spellcasters designed
as combat casters. While rare in the current peacetime, warmages
are still trained by a notoriously overbearing instructor at the Rekkenmark Academy.
Prestige Classes
Acolyte of the Skin
"I wear the pelt of Nethatar's spawn,
freely given and gratefully taken. I swore no oath of allegiance to the rakshasas, but I must assume they see my interests as
their own."
The Lords of Dust regard most mortal
as tools and playthings, but consider some more valuable pawns than others.
Acolytes of the Skin are the most powerful humanoid servants of the rakshasas, bound to lesser fiends in a ritual that both
empowers and subverts the acolyte. Some are arcane conjurers, while others
lead cults of the Dragon Below. In both cases, their manipulation of minor
demons gains the attention of rakshasas who offer
them a terrible bargain. This culminates in the Ritual of Bonding, a process
that leaves the Acolyte of the Skin marked with dark stripes and menacing
feline features. Though Acolytes claim autonomy, their will is secretly bound
to the Lords of Dust, and all Acolytes can expect to become hunted enemies of
the Silver Flame.
Conversion: At 9th level, an
Acolyte of the Skin may choose to summon a bharaivya
rather than a babau or chain devil. At 10th level,
an Acolyte of the Skin becomes a native outsider.
Alienist
"What do I hear coming from the corridor ahead? I hear snow-black
ooze carrying a flock of exquisite insects, and in each facet of each
insect's eye is a perfect city formed of flowing
crystalline lungs, and in these cities live eel-armed dwarf maidens of
unimaginable beauty..."
Xoriat,
the plane of madness, is an all-consuming trap for powerful minds.
Overconfident sages look to Xoriat as a
surmountable challenge, but find only insanity as they try to comprehend its
mysteries. They see Xoriat superimposed on the
world around them, and constantly hear the daelkyr's
whispered commands. All alienists walk a path toward ruin, but along the way
they gain impressive power. The pseudonatural
creatures they summon are anathema to all druids, and the Gatekeepers are
particularly intent on eliminating any known alienists.
Argent Savant
"Put that scroll away, you fool! You can't treat Upper Menthis like some abandoned dungeon.
Crowded streets call for more selective evocation."
While argent savants can be found
among elite spellcasters through Eberron, the
world's most well-known argent savants are a pair of wizards in the Blackened
Book, the arcane arm of the Sharn Watch. While most
countermages in the Blackened Book are diviners or
abjurers, extreme situations call for powerful evokers. Masters of force
effects, the argent savants use their spells to apprehend criminals or
destroy threats to the city without harming civilians.
Blood Magus
"I have conquered death itself. What could you possibly believe I
have to fear from you?"
The Order of the Emerald Claw has access to a number of
artifacts that raise the dead, collected by the lich queen Vol
in her unsuccessful quest to return to life. When one of these devices
is used to resurrect a high-ranking wizard and sorcerer within the Order
of the Emerald Claw, the spellcaster sometimes
gains new insight into life and death. The result is a blood magus,
a master of the vital fluid that form the basis
of Vol's religion. While blood magi keep most of their secrets
inscribed on their own skin, the process for becoming a blood magus
is recorded in a set of tomes secured beneath a Blood of Vol
church in Karrnath.
Effigy Master
"Cannith may no longer be in the business of creating
life, but their imitations of life have become increasingly convincing."
Constructs have always been the province of House Cannith, but the study of simulacra has
traditionally taken a back seat to the development of warforged
and wondrous magical items. With the Treaty of Thronehold's
ban on warforged production, some artificers and
wizards within House Cannith have chosen to focus
on the creation of lifelike effigies. A novelty item during
the last war, these effigies have become increasingly popular as
bodyguards and soldiers. Effigy masters are few, but the revenue earned by
their services means that even artificers with no blood ties to House Cannith are welcomed to train as effigy masters.
Conversion: An artificer who has 10
ranks in Use Magic Device can meet the prerequisites for this class without
having simulacrum on his spell list. An artificer who becomes an
effigy master adds Use Magic Device to the effigy master's list of class
skills. At every level after first, an effigy master gains additional
infusions per day as if he had gained a level of artificer.
Elemental Savant
"The Bronzehearts do not teach outsiders our ways... but you
are clearly blessed by the Thunder Prince. We will reveal our secrets if you
swear to join our war against the Stormwalkers."
The dragon-worshipping barbarians
of Seren produce an unusually large number of
sorcerers. These sorcerers cultivate powers related to their tribes' draconic
founders, particularly focusing on destructive spells that mimic draconic
breath weapons. An elemental savant takes this to the next level, mastering
one element at the expense of all others. Seren
elemental savants are reluctant to share their secrets with foreign spellcasters, and demand displays of loyalty from any who
wish to join their ranks.
Enlightened Fist
"Aureon teaches us that the mystic passes
of spellcasting can be extrapolated to the entire
body. With the right training, a precise punch or kick can serve as a spell's
somatic component."
Just as a Fist of il-Yannah combines martial discipline with psionic prowess, an enlightened fist blends monastic
study with spellcasting might. A half-dozen
enlightened fists of Aureon exist in Khorvaire, and all are treated with the respect normally
reserved for ecclesiarchs of the Sovereign Host.
Some spend their lives in quiet contemplation, studying lost magic or
draconic martial arts, while others serve as instructors for young monks. A
few choose a much more dangerous path: hunting down the enlightened fists of
the Shadow.
Fatespinner
"I refuse to be a slave to the Prophecy. I choose to forge my own
destiny."
The dragons of the Chamber tend to
be young and impatient, eager to participate in the Prophecy rather than
simply observe it. Some take this approach even further, hoping to directly
alter the course of fate. Such dragons become fatespinners,
manipulating providence as a bard might play a harp. Brash and impulsive,
they are more than willing to share their techniques with human agents of the
Chamber, selecting mages with a penchant for divination and a flair for games
of chance.
Geometer
"I once knew a gnome who told me that a spell's power has more to do
with the ink it's written in than the person casting it. Aren't gnomes
hilarious?"
Each dragonmarked
House has its specialist spellcasters. Among the
most remarkable are the geometers of House Sivis.
Like all gnomes, the members of House Sivis have an
insatiable thirst for knowledge. They delight in studying sigils, arcane
marks, written language, and mathematics that bore members of other
races. Combining these disciplines, they discovered the power of spellglyphs. Most people aware of the Sivis
geometers assume their magic simply supplements the House's traditional
businesses. The truth is more impressive: geometers have uncovered techniques
for exploiting vulnerabilities in the wards used to protect House Kundarak banks and holdings. They are willing to sell
this information, but so far the highest bidders have been the dwarves of
House Kundarak.
Green Star Adept
"At
first, the meteors were not recongizable as
Siberys shards, covered as they were by a mysterious viridian
stone. Now I wonder if this ore is even more valuable than any dragonshard."
Deep in the jungles of Xen'drik,
priceless dragonshards rain from the skies.
Of these, perhaps one in a hundred is covered in an unearthly green
ore. Once refined, this green starmetal has
arcane properties apparently derived from its exposure to Siberys.
Only one wizard is known to have studied this material extensively,
and she disappeared over a decade ago. Adventurers who find some of
this strange metal and wish to explore its properties further must follow
the trail of clues left by that wizard, Eberron's
only green star adept.
Initiate of the
Sevenfold Veil
"We have watched them closely, Khaazak'tasha.
I do not know what to make of their obsession with the constellation
Tiamat, but the members of the Sevenfold Guard have not
wavered in their duties."
Long before men or elves walked Eberron, dragons liberated
the world from the reign of fiends. Pivotal to these efforts were seven
elder wyrms, taught powerful secrets of abjuration
by a couatl sage. Since the Age of Fiends
ended, the dragons of Argonnessen have maintained
a Sevenfold Guard dedicated to the mysteries of a force they call "the
Veil." Each member is assigned to master one color of the veil.
The colors assigned correspond to the dragon's type (with bronze, gold,
black, and silver dragons matched to orange, yellow, indigo, and violet,
respectively). Only a handful of humanoid spellcasters have the knowledge required to even begin studying
the Veil, and none are deemed worthy by the dragons. It is always possible,
however, that a couatl exists who still possesses
this knowledge and is willing to share it.
Mage of the Arcane
Order
"If you
wish to challenge me, be aware that you oppose the will of Khorvaire's mightiest mages."
Several mage guilds exist in Khorvaire, from the Esoteric Order of Aureon
to the Arcane Council of Aundair. Most, though, are
mere shadows of the magical fraternities that existed before the Last War. A
mage of the arcane order gains access to the order's spellpool,
an arcane library that vastly increases a wizard's versatility. One of the
deepest spellpools in Eberron belongs to the
Twelve, an alliance of wizards sponsored by the dragonmarked
houses. In fact, the spellpool contains spells more
powerful than even the most experienced member of the Twelve should be able
to cast. A mage of the arcane order will have to contend with this mystery
...and with the more immediate threat of jealous rivals within the Twelve.
Master Transmogrifist
"Personal transformation takes
discipline and arcane talent, yes, but just as important is the ability to
play a role, to believe you are what you are not."
While few spellcasters
have the experience and raw talent to become a master transmogrifist,
there are many paths to this prestige class. Aundairian
sages have long studied the wildshaping druids of
the Eldeen Reaches with great fascination, and some
have applied those principles to enhance their transmutation magic. In Droaam, apprentices to the Daughters of Sora Kell are taught shapeshifting secrets to aid their infiltration of
humanoid cities. Members of the Chamber can learn polymorphing
techniques from a silver dragon patron. Finally, an adventuring sorcerer or
wizard could simply discover these techniques herself through repeated use of
related spells. In all these cases, master transmogrifists
make exotic spies and versatile warriors.
Mindbender
"The inscription on the temple's
eastern wall is written in archaic Aereni.
It describes a slave uprising, led by elven
bards whose songs were so compelling that they turned the giants against
one another."
Like the master transmogrifist,
the mindbender is a class found among multiple individuals and organizations
in Eberron. Mindbenders tend to be the heads of cults and cartels, leading others
with a combination of natural charisma and supernatural coercion. The
Tyrants, a criminal network based in Sharn, is said
to include several doppleganger enchanters and
sorcerers who have developed their natural telepathy into a powerful
manipulative tool. The Aurum use mindbenders in high places to keep money in
the hands of the rich. The agents of the Dreaming Dark are the most insidious
and widespread members of this class, and their kalashtar opponents sometimes become psionic
mindbenders.
Conversion:
For Inspired mindbenders and their PC counterparts, use the psionic conversion suggestions provided in the
"Adaptation" section of the mindbender description.
Seeker of the
Song
"My life would be complete if I
could discover just one note of the song that guides the dance of the planes,
the lullaby that keeps Khyber asleep within Eberron, the requiem that began
when Siberys was destroyed and scattered across the
heavens."
While bards are notorious dabblers, they all share a single
passion: music that uplifts the soul and changes the world. Within the
Circle of Song, a few bards focus on music above all other trades. These
Seekers of the Song are known only to each other, and their precise
numbers are a mystery even to those within the continent-spanning brotherhood
of bards. Their quest is to uncover the Music of Creation, the mysterious
and inimitable notes that guided the birth of universe. Along the way,
they discover songs that affect objects and bodies as sublimely as they
affect hearts and minds.
Sublime Chord
"We all know that music can
be found among the stars, meter and pitch spelled out in the geometry
of constellations. But observe, if you will, the pattern made by overlaying
those notes over our charts of Siberys. This
is more than a code. It’s a spellbook written across the sky.”
The gnomes of Zilargo
prize knowledge above all else. The gnomes' greatest heroes have been bards,
and the study of music and lore is ingrained in Zil
culture. Many Zilar wizards often have their first
exposure to magic through bardic music, a
phenomenon that has resulted in deeper study of the relationships between the
two. The sublime chords are true students of esoterica:
philosophy, astrology, music, and magic. They find thematic and mathematic
connections between phenomena that other scholars could never imagine, and
use their cosmological insights to cast spells in unique ways. Few non-gnomes
have the tolerance for obscure studies required of a sublime chord, but the
gnomes would welcome any sufficiently experienced scholars at their annual
gatherings in Korranberg.
Xen'drik Archanamach
"At night, the storm giants’ rumbling
song can be heard halfway across the continent. The few words I can
understand speak of ancient heroes, of spells and swords that shook the very foundations
of Eberron.”
During the height of civilization
on Xen'drik, giants were the unquestioned rulers of
the known world. Among their greatest warriors were the archanamachs,
eldritch giants who fought the armies of the dream plane with martial and
magical might. The archanamachs were among the
first to fight during the Dal Quor
incursion, and some of the last to fall. Now, they are truly extinct and
their methods have been lost for millennia. Like modern-day arcanists, however, the archanamachs
recorded their secrets in enchanted tomes. If such a spellbook
still exists, it is either hidden deep within the ruins of Xen’drik or kept in a fortified chamber in Dal Quor, waiting for a hero to
turn its massive pages and imbibe its secrets.
Conversion: Aside
from changing the name of the Suel Archanamach prestige class, two modifications must be observed.
First, Giant replaces the Ancient Suloise
language requirement. Second, the Grimoire
Archanamacha is quite literally a giant artifact. A house-sized
tome, it requires magic to even move from its secret resting place.
Wayfarer Guide
"So if I don’t get you to Wroat by noon, certain war will engulf all of
Khorvaire? Fine, that’s good for a ten percent
discount.”
Not to be confused with the Wayfinder Foundation, the Wayfarer Guides are a group of
elite teleporters within House Orien.
They provide premium services to politicians, merchant princes, adventurers,
and other dragonmarked nobles. While most
possess the greater Mark of Passage, a few are sorcerers or even wizards
who hope to increase their standing in the House. Only a handful of
Wayfarer Guides exist, and most prefer to spend their days enjoying
their wealth rather than earning more. All are mercenary in nature,
and expect prompt payment for their services. It’s possible that this
avarice could even prompt one of them to sell their secrets to someone
outside of Orien.
Wild Mage
"This is what magic could
be: raw and unrestrained. You cannot hope to control it, only to let
it sweep you up in its random majesty.”
On the Day of Mourning, the nation of Cyre
was ravaged by a score of diverse catastrophes, only similar in the
magnitude of devastation they caused. Almost unnoticed among these was
the sudden appearance of manifest zones to Kythri,
the plane of chaos. Indeed, such zones appeared throughout the known
world on the Day of Mourning, and expanded where they had been seen
in the past. In these zones, magic is powerful but rebellious, defying
expectations in ways both impressive and dangerous. At least one archmage,
widely believed a casualty of the Last War, has become obsessed with
manipulating the unpredictable forces of wild magic. Those who study
the manifest zones have found that they can not only harness the power
of wild magic within areas connected to Kythri,
but carry it into the rest of Eberron.
This article was
written and written by Johnny "Jhonen Olain" O'Neal, with significant input from the
members of the official Eberron message board. All associated copyrights are
property of Wizards of the Coast.
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