Specialist Wizard

Ability Requirements: Intelligence 9
Prime Requisites: Intelligence
Races Allowed: Human, Elf, Half-elf, Gnome (Illusionist only)
Alignments Allowed: Any
Automatic Proficiencies: Reading/Writing

Requirements

Not all wizards can become specialists. The player character must meet certain requirements to become a specialist. Most specialist wizards must be single-classed; multi-classed characters cannot become specialists, except for gnomes, who seem to have more of a natural bent for the school of illusion than characters of any other race. Dual-class humans can choose to become specialists. The dedication to the particular school of magic requires all the attention and concentration of the character. He does not have time for other class-related pursuits.

In addition, each school has different restrictions on race, ability scores, and schools of magic allowed. Note that Divination is not available as a specialty. The spells of this group, vital to the functioning of a wizard, are available to all wizards.

Wizard Specialist Requirements

Specialist Title	School	Race	Minimum Ability Score	Opposition School
Illusionist	Illusion	Human, Gnome	16 Dex	Abjuration
Enchanter	Enchantment	Human, Elf, Half-Elf	16 Wis	Necromancy
Beguiler	Charm	Human, Elf, Half-Elf	16 Cha	Cosmology
Conjurer	Conjuration	Human, Half-Elf	15 Con	Evocation
Summoner	Summoning	Human	15 Con	Alteration
Abjurer	Abjuration	Human, Elf, Half-Elf	15 Wis	Illusion
Necromancer	Necromancy	Human, Half-Elf	16 Wis	Enchantment
Cosmologist	Cosmology	Human, Elf, Half-Elf	16 Wis	Charm
Evoker	Evocation	Human, Elf, Half-Elf	16 Con	Conjuration
Transmuter	Alteration	Human, Half-Elf	15 Dex	Summoning

Race lists those races that, either through a natural tendency or a quirk of fate, are allowed to specialize in that art. Note that the gnome, though unable to be a regular mage, can specialize in illusions.

Minimum Ability Score lists the ability minimums needed to study intensively in that school. All schools require at least the minimum Intelligence demanded of a mage and an additional prime requisite, as listed.

Opposition School is the school directly opposite the character's school of study in the diagram. Wizards can never learn spells of the opposition school, nor can they use magical items that duplicate spells from that school. The school of Divination has no opposition school, and thus divination spells are equally learnable by all wizards, regardless of their affiliation.

Special Abilities

Being a specialist does have significant advantages:

Specialists cast spells from within their school as if they were a level higher than they are, with respect to range, area of effect and duration.

A specialist has a slightly faster spell progression than the mage. This is already reflected in the Wizard Specialist Experience Levels and Spell Progression table below. However, he must concentrate his choice of spells in his school. Thus, a 1st level illusionist could have two illusion spells, while at 3rd level, he could cast 3 first level and 2 second level spells, but at least half the spells of each level must be illusion spells.

Because specialists have an enhanced understanding of spells within their school, they receive a +1 bonus when making saving throws against those spells when cast by other wizards. Likewise, other characters suffer a -1 penalty when making saving throws against a specialist casting spells within his school. Both of these modifiers can be in effect at the same time--for example, when an enchanter casts an enchantment spell at another enchanter, the modifiers cancel each other out.

Specialists receive a bonus of +15% when learning spells from their school. The bonus is applied to the percentile dice roll the player must make when the character tries to learn a new spell.

Whenever a specialist reaches a new spell level, (i.e., at 2nd, 4th, 6th character level, etc.) he automatically gains one spell of his school to add to his spell books. This spell can be selected by the player. No roll for learning the spell need be made. It is assumed that the character has discovered this new spell during the course of his research and study. It must be a spell that the player can know by virtue of his level, but it doesn't have to be a spell of the highest level he can cast.

When a specialist wizard attempts to create a new spell, the DM should count the new spell as one level less (for determining the difficulty) if the spell falls within the school of the specialist. An enchanter attempting to create a new enchantment spell would have an easier time of it than an illusionist attempting to do the same.

Restrictions

Specialists cast spells from other schools as if they were a level lower than they are and cannot cast any spells from the opposition school. Thus an illusionist of 1st level can cast 2 illusion spells, but cannot cast any spells from any other school until he reaches 2nd level, when he can cast a charm spell, but it will be cast as if he were a 1st level wizard.

Specialists receive a penalty of -15% when learning spells from other schools. The penalty is applied to the target percentile dice roll the player must make when the character tries to learn a new spell.

Specialists have a chance of spell failure when casting spells outside their school. This chance of failure is equal to 25% minus the level of the caster. The player rolls % dice, and if the roll is less than the percentage for his level, the spell will fail or backfire.

Wizard Specialist Experience Levels and Spell Progression

Wizard Level	XP	Hit Dice (d4)	Spell Level
			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
1	0	1	2
2	2,250	2	3
3	4,500	3	3	2
4	9,000	4	4	3
5	18,000	5	5	3	2
6	36,000	6	5	4	3
7	55,000	7	5	4	4	2
8	85,000	8	5	5	4	3
9	135,000	9	6	5	4	3	2
10	250,000	10	6	5	4	4	3
11	385,000	10+1	6	5	5	4	3	2
12	770,000	10+2	6	6	5	4	4	3
13	1,150,000	10+3	6	6	5	5	4	3	2
14	1,530,000	10+4	6	6	5	5	5	4	3

Note: At least half of the spells memorized at any given time must be from within the specialist's school.