Elemental Savant

Elemental Savant

Elemental savants study the basic elements of existence – air, earth, fire, and water – learning to harness their power. Most of them follow one of the ‘elemental’ deities, Kivi, Frihet, Tuli, or Valtameri. However, there are those that follow other gods, notably Skadia and Talvi. Most elemental savants start as wizards, although clerics and druids are not unknown. Sorcerers occasionally take this prestige class, but since metamagic feats are of little use to them, they have difficulty using this class’s strengths to their fullest.

Requirements: Knowledge (Arcana): 8 ranks, Knowledge (The Planes): 8 ranks Feats: Energy Substitution (acid, cold, electricity, or fire) Spells: Ability to cast at least three spells with one of the acid, cold, electricity, or fire descriptors and at least one summon spell. Alternatively, the character must be able to cast at least one spell of 3rd level or higher and have access to one of the following clerical domains: Air, Earth, Fire, or Water.

Special: The elemental savant must have made peaceful contact with an elemental or an outsider with an elemental subtype (Air, Earth, Fire, Water).

Abilities: Hit Die: d4

Class Skills: Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Knowledge (any, Int), Profession (Wis), Scry (Int), Speak Language, and Spellcraft (Int) Skill Pts: 2 + Int Modifier

Special Features:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Elemental Savants gain no additional proficiency in weapons or armor.

Spells Per Day: When a new elemental savant level is gained, the character gains new spells per day as if she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class she belonged to before adding the prestige class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained, except for an increased effective level of spellcasting. If a character had more than one spellcasting class prior to becoming an elemental savant, she must decide which class she adds the new level for the purpose of determining spells per day.

Elemental Substitution (Ex): Beginning at 1st level, the elemental savant may substitute her chosen element (linked to the Energy Substitution feat, described below on table ES-1) as a free action in any spell she casts with an element descriptor. For bards and sorcerers, this supersedes the requirement that a metamagic feat applied to a spell takes a full-round action to cast. Note that the spell’s normal casting time (typically 1 action) must still be taken. Once an elemental savant chooses their element at 1st level, they can no longer use Energy Substitution or Energy Admixture from their opposed element, nor can they cast spells with that designator (however, if they know spells from that designator, such as an air savant knowing acid arrow, they may use their Substitution ability to change that into an electricity arrow). * This is the energy that you must have for the Energy Substitution feat, before taking this class.

Elemental Resistance (Ex): Beginning at 1st level, the elemental savant gains increasing resistance to their allied energy type, described on Table ES-1. This resistance is 5 points at level 1, and increases to 10 points at level 4, 15 at level 7, and becomes full immunity at level 10.

Elemental Focus (Ex): At second level, the elemental savant’s save DCs with spells of her chosen element increase by +1. This stacks with the Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus feats. The bonus from elemental focus increases by +1 for every three levels after the second (i.e. +2 at level 5, +3 at level 9, etc.).

Elemental Penetration (Ex): The elemental savant begins to further refine their elemental energies, and gains the ability to penetrate spell resistance with greater ease, if they are using a spell of their chosen element. The spell resistance roll bonus is +1 at 3rd level, and increases to +2 at 6th level, then +3 at 9th level. This bonus stacks with Spell Penetration and Greater Spell Penetration.

Elemental Adaptation (Ex): At 4th level, the Elemental Savant no longer takes environmental damage or suffers from hazards relating to her chosen element. In addition, she suffers no ill effects and has no difficulty moving and navigating through the elemental plane relating to her chosen element. However, spells that duplicate environmental damage (i.e., call lightning, fireball, earthquake, cone of cold, or similar spells) do inflict their normal damage, after the elemental resistance is factored in.

Elemental Admixture (Ex): Beginning at 7th level, the elemental savant may modify one of her spells as if it were modified by the Energy Admixture feat appropriate to her energy type (i.e. an earth savant would have the Energy Admixture (acid) ability). Casting the spell is now a full-round action when using this ability. This ability does not cause the effective spell level to increase, and can be used once per day.

Elemental Purity (Ex): At 10th level, the elemental savant has a purified understanding of how her element works and exists, and can use that knowledge even against creatures normally immune to such damage. All spells that the elemental savant uses that involve her energy type now do half element damage and half arcane damage. In other words, any energy resistance or immunity possessed will only protect from half the damage. Example: Mattas, a fire savant, casts a fireball at a pit fiend. Normally the fiend is immune to fire, but it will now take half-damage from the fireball, as it is half arcane damage (or one-quarter arcane damage, if it makes its saving throw).