Magister Vane, Arcane Artilerist

Flavor: A defector from a magic academy who believes in "Magic Superiority." Arrogant but effective. Class: Arcanist 14 (School Savant: Evocation) Role: AoE Damage CR: 13

CR 13 | XP 25,600 Male Human Arcanist (School Savant) 14 N Medium humanoid (elf) Init +9; Senses Low-light vision, Perception +16

Defense: AC 23, touch 15, flat-footed 20 (+4 Armor [Mage Armor], +3 Dex, +2 deflection, +2 natural, +2 shield [Spell])

HP: 114 (14d6+42 Con + 14 Toughness)

Fort +10, Ref +10, Will +12; (+2 vs enchantments) Defensive Abilities Dimensional Slide (Teleport 140ft as Move Action).

----- Offense ----- Speed 30 ft. (Fly 60 ft with spell) Melee mwk dagger +8 (1d4-1) Special Attacks

• Versatile Evocation (Su): 10/day, swap the energy type of an elemental spell to Acid, Cold, Electricity, or Fire.
• Intense Spells (Su): +7 damage to any Evocation spell.
• Potent Magic: Expend 1 Arcane Point to increase CL by +2 or DC by +2.

----- Arcanist Spells Prepared (CL 14th; Concentration +21) ----- Vane can mix-and-match these using his spell slots. DCs listed include Spell Focus. 7th (2/day)—Prismatic Spray (DC 26), Waves of Exhaustion 6th (4/day)—Chain Lightning (DC 25), Sirocco (DC 25), Greater Dispel Magic, True Seeing 5th (5/day)—Cone of Cold (DC 24), Wall of Force, Icy Prison (DC 24), Overland Flight 4th (6/day)—Fireball (DC 23), Dimension Door, Greater Invisibility, Emergency Force Sphere 3rd (6/day)—Fireball (DC 22), Haste, Slow (DC 20), Fly, Dispel Magic 2nd (6/day)—Glitterdust (DC 19), Mirror Image, Invisibility, Resist Energy, See Invisibility 1st (6/day)—Magic Missile, Grease (DC 18), Shield, Mage Armor, Liberating Command 0—Detect Magic, Read Magic, Prestidigitation, Acid Splash

----- Tactics ----- The Alpha Strike (Crowd Control): Vane prepares a Dazing Fireball (using a 6th level slot or Rod).

1. Exploit: Uses Potent Magic (Swift) to boost the DC by +2.
2. Cast: He casts Fireball, using Versatile Evocation to change the damage to Acid (bypassing fire immunity).
3. Result: 10d6+7 Acid damage. Reflex Save DC 25 (23+2) or be Dazed for 3 rounds.

The Blaster:

1. Chain Lightning: 14d6+7 damage to primary, half to secondary. He uses Potent Magic to boost Caster Level to 16 for Spell Penetration checks.
2. Emergency: If attacked, he casts Emergency Force Sphere (Immediate Action) to block all damage.
3. Escape: He uses Dimensional Slide (Move Action) to teleport 140ft without provoking AoOs, then casts a spell standard action.

----- Statistics ----- Str 8, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 24, Wis 12, Cha 10 (Stats include +6 Headband) Base Atk +7; CMB +6; CMD 21 Feats Improved Initiative, Spell Focus (Evocation), Greater Spell Focus (Evocation), Spell Penetration, Greater Spell Penetration, Empower Spell, Dazing Spell (Metamagic: +3 levels, daze targets who fail save). Skills Spellcraft +24, Knowledge (Arcana) +24, Knowledge (Planes) +24, Knowledge (Nature) +20, Fly +20, Perception +16. SQ Arcane Reservoir (17/day), Consume Spells, Elf Blood. Exploits

• School Savant (Admixture): Replaces exploits 1, 3, 7.
• Potent Magic: +2 CL or +2 DC (Cost 1 point).
• Dimensional Slide: Move action teleport (Cost 1 point).
• Quick Study: Swap prepared spell as full-round action (Cost 1 point).

----- Gear ----- Combat: Metamagic Rod of Quicken (Lesser), Metamagic Rod of Selective Spell (Normal), Pearl of Power (4th). Equipment: Headband of Vast Intelligence +6 (Skills: Fly, Perception, Planes), Belt of Incredible Dexterity +2, Ring of Protection +2, Amulet of Natural Armor +2, Cloak of Resistance +4, Spell component pouch, 1000gp diamond dust.

NPC Notes

Normally, Arcanists are generalists. By taking the School Savant (Admixture) archetype, Vane gains the Wizard's best blasting tool: Versatile Evocation.

• Problem: High-level demons/devils are immune to Fire/Cold/Electricity.
• Solution: Vane can cast Chain Lightning and shift it to Acid or Sonic (if GM permits Sonic, usually limited to the 4 elements). This ensures his damage is never resisted.
• Intense Spells: He adds +7 damage (half level) to every Evocation spell. A Magic Missile deals 5d4+5 +7, making it a guaranteed 24 damage swift action (with Quicken Rod) to finish off weak foes.