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Halruaan elders are the epitomy of magic cast with panache, and their dazzling and unique displays of arcane force make them the most respected practitioners in the land.

Requirements

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Halruaan elders gain no proficiency in weapons or armor.

Spells Per Day/Spells Known: At each level, the Halruaan elder gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he had also gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class to which he belonged before adding the prestige class level. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved chance of turning or destroying undead, metamagic or item creation feats, and so on). If he had more than one arcane spellcasting class before becoming a Halruaan elder, he must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day and spells known.

Adroit Casting (Ex): The Halruaan elder has become so skilled at casting his spells with various metamagic feats that utilizing such feats has become easier for him. At 1st level, he picks a metamagic feat he knows. The cost in increased level of spell slots to use that metamagic feat is now permanently reduced by one level, to a minimum total modification of a spell's original level + 1. For example if a Halruaan elder with adroit casting 1 wishes to prepare an empowered magic missile, that spell takes up a slot only one level higher than its original level (instead of two). At 4th level, and every three levels thereafter, the Halruaan elder can choose another metamagic feat he knows. That feat gains the same benefit; spells altered by that feat take up a slot one level lower than normal (minimum of the spell's original level + 1). If the Halruaan elder doesn't have a metamagic feat to apply the ability to when he gains a level that grants adroit casting, or if he's has previously applied adroit casting to all of the viable metamagic feats he knows (any metamagic feats that require spells to occupt a slot two or more levels higher than normal), he gains no benefit from this ability until he aquires a new metamagic feat that adroit casting can affect. At that time, he can automatically designate that feat as altered by the unused application of adroit casting.

The elder cannot choose the same metamagic feat more than once with adroit casting. For example, a Halruaan elder who picks Quicken Spell at 4th level, reducing the cost in increased level of spell slots to three, cannot pick Quicken Spell against at 7th or 10th level to reduce the cost again.

The elder can prepare a spell with multiple metamagic feats altered through the adroit casting ability. For examply, a 10th-level wizard/10th-level Halruaan elder who has selected Empower Spell and Maximize Spell as two of the metamagic feats altered by adroit casting can prepare 1st-level empowered, maximized spells in 4th-level spell slots, as opposed to 6th-level spell slots (2 — 1 [empowered] + 3 — 1 [maximized] = 3 [new spell slot used]).

Circle Link (Ex): A Halruaan elder has the ability to participate in Halruaan circle magic through the Halruaan Adept feat, a prerequisite for entry into the class. Circle magic is described fully on page 59 of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting and page 194 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. A Halruaan elder of at least 5th level can be a circle leader. He also goes through a ritual so he can be contacted via Halruaa's Crystal Orb (see page 59).

Signature Spell: A Halruaan elder gains Signature Spell as a bonus feat at 2nd, 5th, and 8th levels. He need not meet the prerequisite for the feat, and thus can choose any spell he knows as a signature spell, rather than a spell he has mastered with the Spell Mastery feat. See page 43 of Player's Guide to Faerûn for the Signature Spell feat.

Advancement