First-World Arcanist Archetype

Design Notes: This is a conversion of the Nature Mage archetype from Owlcat’s Wrath of the Righteous computer RPG. While the original archetype seemed lacking in flavor and comparative power to the arcanist, or the druid, some features were borrowed from Pathfinder Community’s First World Arcanist, so the resulting archetype that follows is picking the best of both archetypes into a well-balanced, more flavorful mix that keeps pure arcanist-style casting.

A rare few arcanists delve into the mysteries of the natural world, learning their craft in the courts of the fey or with druids of the deep forest. These arcanists are both scholars of champions of the natural cycle. The nature based arcane magic they wield is enhanced by powerful fey tricks and druidic cunning.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Due to their compacts with fey and druidic powers, the first world arcanist is proficient in the same weapons as useable by a druid. While they are not a divine caster, and do not require a divine patron, a first world arcanist with a patron can also use a weapon in her patron’s proficiency favored weapon group, without breaking her covenants with her teachers. The first world arcanist is not proficient with any type of armor or shield and is subject to arcane spell failure if she does wear armor or carry a shield. Even if she gains proper proficiencies, and/or abilities to cast arcane magic in armor, she is bound by her covenants to her teachers to not wear metal. This alters the standard arcanist’s proficiencies.

Spellcasting: A first world arcanist casts arcane spells drawn from the druid spell list, rather than the sorcerer/wizard spell list. To this spell list, she adds spells of the Enchantment school from the sorcerer/wizard spell list, as well as all spells of the beast shape, plant shape, and elemental body line of spells, alter self, polymorph and greater polymorph. Any spells that appear on both spell lists use the druid spell level, and she gains these spells at levels according to the arcanist spells per day and spells prepared tables. She may learn and transcribe new spells on her spell list into her spellbook from scrolls, other spellbooks, or being taught them by a druid or other first world arcanist. Further, she automatically gains all summon nature’s ally spells of a level she can cast, and treats them as if they are always prepared, without expending a preparation slot. Her alignment may restrict her from casting certain spells opposed to her moral or ethical beliefs (see Chaotic, Evil, Good, and Lawful Spells).

This alters the arcanist’s spellcasting ability.

Arcanist Exploits (Su): A first world arcanist is unable to select the following arcanist exploits: bloodline development, school understanding, third eye, or any of the outer rift exploits. The first world arcanist has access to these additional exploits exclusive to her:

• Animal Guardian (Su): The first world arcanist gains an animal companion as a druid of her level. She is restricted from selecting the familiar exploit if she has chosen this exploit, or vice versa. If the first world arcanist receives an animal companion from another class, her levels of first world arcanist stack with the levels from that class when determining the animal companion’s statistics and abilities.
• Nature’s Call (Sp): By expending 1 point from her arcane reservoir, the first world arcanist can increase the duration of a summon nature’s ally spell to 10 minutes per level, even if the summoned creature is ordered to enter combat. She can only have one summon’s duration extended in this fashion, and if she uses the ability again when casting another nature’s ally spell before this duration has expired, the earlier summon is immediately dismissed.
• Resist Nature’s Lure (Ex): The first world arcanist gains a +4 bonus on saving throws against the spell-like and supernatural abilities of fey. This bonus also applies to spells and effects that target plants, such as blight, entangle, spike growth, and warp wood. The first world arcanist must be at least 5th level to select this exploit. This counts as the druid’s same-named ability.
• Venom Immunity (Ex): The first world arcanist gains a +4 bonus to all saving throws against poisons. At 9th level, this improves to immunity to all poisons. This counts as the druid’s same-named ability.
• Nature Stride (Su): The first world arcanist is able to move effortlessly across nearly any wooded terrain — such as undergrowth, thickets and the like. Each round, whenever he moves, she can ignore up to 5 feet of non-magical difficult terrain per arcanist level, treating it as normal terrain (including the ability to make 5-foot steps into it). by expending a point from her arcane reservoir, she can ignore even magically manipulated difficult terrain (this does not prevent other magical effects on the terrain from affecting the her, such thorny entanglement causing damage). At 11th level, if she expends an additional point from her arcane reservoir, she can move across any natural surface, even if it would normally not support her weight, so long as he can begin and end his move on a surface that can support her normally. She cannot move across air or water, nor walk up walls or other vertical surfaces this way. This counts as the druid and UnRanger’s nature’s stride ability.

Wild Form (Su): At 3rd level, a first world arcanist has learned to use her arcane magic to mimic the druidic connection with the aspects of the wilds. She can expend 1 point from her arcane reservoir when she casts a prepared spell from the polymorph subschool that targets her, to increase the duration of the spell to one hour per level. Doing this removes the spell from preparation. She may dismiss this spell before the duration’s end as a standard action. This replaces the arcanist’s 3rd-level exploit.

Greater Wild Form (Su): At 11th level, a first world arcanist’s wild form ability improves. Expending 1 point from her arcane reservoir while casting any spell of the polymorph school that targets her, in addition to extending the duration to 1 hour, is quickened per the metamagic feat, with no increase in spell level or casting time. Using this ability does not expend the spell from preparation once cast. Further, she can cast this spell without preparation, so long as she has the spell in her spellbook, for an additional cost from her arcane reservoir equal to the level of the spell being cast. Dismissing this polymorph effect is also reduced to a swift action. This replaces the arcanist’s 11th level exploit, and alters greater exploits, in that she does not gain the greater exploit ability until 13th level.

Greater Exploits (Su): This is exactly like the arcanist’s ability of the same name, except that she gains it at 13th level. A first world arcanist is restricted from choosing the suffering knowledge exploit, or any of the outer rift exploits. A first world arcanist can additionally choose from the following new greater exploit exclusive to her:

• Greater Face Thief (Su): When the first world arcanist expends 1 point from her arcane reservoir to use the face thief exploit, its effect lasts 1 hour per level and it functions as alter self, rather than disguise self. If she expends 2 points from her arcane reservoir its effects last for 24 hours. If she expends 3 points from her arcane reservoir, its effects last 24 hours and she can change her disguise at will, but each time she changes her disguise the duration of her face thief exploit is reduced by 1 hour. The first world arcanist must have the face thief exploit before selecting this exploit.
• Timeless Body (Su): The first world arcanist gains the druid’s timeless body ability. The first world arcanist must be at least 15th level to select this exploit.