Mage of the Arcane Order

Mage of the Arcane Order

Level	BAB	Fort. Save	Ref. Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
1	+0	+0	+0	+2	Membership	+1 level of existing class
2	+1	+0	+0	+3	Spellpool I	+1 level of existing class
3	+1	+1	+1	+3	Research breakthrough	+1 level of existing class
4	+2	+1	+1	+4	Bonus language	+1 level of existing class
5	+2	+1	+1	+4	New spell	+1 level of existing class
6	+3	+2	+2	+5	Spellpool II	+1 level of existing class
7	+3	+2	+2	+5	New spell	+1 level of existing class
8	+4	+2	+2	+6	Bonus language	+1 level of existing class
9	+4	+3	+3	+6	Research breakthrough	+1 level of existing class
10	+5	+3	+3	+7	Regent, Spellpool III	+1 level of existing class

Also called a "guildmage," this is a spellcaster who belongs to a academy and guild known as the Arcane Order. In casual conversation, the academy is called the Order, or sometimes "that college of wizardry." It is both a school for fledgling spellcasters and a guild for those of advanced knowledge and power.

The Arcane Order's charter is twofold. Its first tenet is advancing magical knowledge through both ongoing research and archeological investigation of lost arcane disciplines. A good portion of research is centered around elucidating a "magical grammer" of the great power wielded in ages past, and this research has borne wondrous fruits: metamagic feats. The second tenet is the support and welfare of the Order's membership, initially through arcane schooling and later throughcampanionship, resources, boarding, and access to the Spellpool (see below). Although nonwizards can benefit somewhat from what the Order has to offer, its emphasis on wizardry deters most applicants.

NPC guildmages often join adventuring companies of nonspellcasters who are not affiliated with the Order. Thus, they could be encoutnered anywhere adventure beckons. However, a guild member in good standing returns when he can to the campus, pays his required dues, and does his part in the upkeep of the Spellpool.

Requirements
To qualify to become a Mage of the Arcane Order, a character must meat the following requirements.
     Knowledge (arcana): 8 ranks.
     Feats: Two metamagic feats, one of which must be Cooperative Spell.
     Spellcasting: Ability to cast 3rd level arcane spells.
     Special: Prospective members must pay an initiation fee of 1,000 gp.

Class Skills
The Mage of the Arcane Order's class skills are:
Alchemy, Concentration, Craft, Knowledge, Profession, Scry, Spellcraft

Class Features
Below are the class features of the Mage of the Arcane Order prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Mage of the Arcane Order gains no weapon or armor proficiencies.

Spells per Day: A Mage of the Arcane Order's training focuses on magic, thus when a character gains a new level of Mage of the Arcane Order she gains new spells per day as if she had also gained a level in whatever spellcasting class she had belonged to before she added the prestige class. She does not however gain any other benefits a character of that class would have gained (Metamagic or Item Creation feats for example). If a character had more than one spellcasting class before she became a Mage of the Arcane Order, she must decide to which class she adds each level of Mage of the Arcane Order for purposes of determining spells per day when she adds the new level.

Membership: A "guild-level" mage of the Arcane Order pays monetary dues and accepts various duties in return for various benefits. A member in good standing may board at the Arcane Order campus between adventures, paying only 5 sp per day for common-quality meals and lodging. At his leisure, he may browse the Order's well-respected library, which is stocked with tomes on both mundane and arcane lore (though no spells are located here). Likewise, he may use the common laboratory facilities when creating a minor or medium magic item (although material costs remain out-of-pocket). Furthermore, he is free to read and post notices to the "job-board," a mundane medium whereby fellow members of the Order pass information, advertise their interest in a research topic, or adventure, or attempt to sell an interestingoddity, magical or otherwise. Last, but not least, members form professional ties with their fellows wizards, possibly leading to lasting friendships or at least allies. Membership in the order incures the following duties and responsibilities:

Spellpool (Sp): Beginning at 2nd level, members can call 1st through 3rd level spells from a common source known as a spellpool. At 6th level, they may call upto 6th level spells from the spellpool. At 10th level, they may call upto 9th level spells from the spellpool.

Research Breakthrough: At 3rd and 9th levels, a mage of the Arcane Order gains sudden insight from studying the reconstructed texts of ancient magical grammers. He gains a bonus metamagic feat.

Bonus Language: At 4th and 8th levels, the guildmage's access to the Order's superb library and resources allow him to learn a new language.

New Spell: When a mage of the Arcane Order reaches 5th and 7th level, a fellow wizard allows the character to copy a spell from his or her spellbook (chosen by the player, subject to the DM's approval). He does not need to make a Spellcraft check, although specialist wizards still cannot learn spells from prohibited schools.

Regent: A 10th-level mage of the Arcane Order is awarded the status of regent. He no longer pays dues but continues to receive all the benefits of guild membership. A regent gains a +2 competence modifier on all Charisma-based interaction checks when dealing with lower-level members of the Order.

The regents set the Arcane Order's rules and policies, meeting each month in the Council of Regents. A regent must attend six council meetings in one year or be removed from the Council and lose his regent status (he loses no other benefits of guild membership). Enacting new policies or eradicating old ones requires a three-fifths majority vote to pass.

Generally, the Council hands out commisions for lower-level mages of the Arcane Order to perform on behalf of the guild. An individual regent may also head up a special group of lower-level members to accomplish a specific goal, such as investigating a crime commited using magic, undertaking an archeological dig of an ancient site of wizardry, or some other important task.