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Maho-tsukai

(Oriental Adventures variant, p. 237)

Maho (blood magic) wielders are called maho-tsukai.

Requirements

Skills: Concentration 8 ranks , Knowledge (Shadowlands) 4 ranks

Base Will Save: +4.
Shadowlands Taint: The character's Taint score must be 4 or higher.
Spells: Ability to cast divine or arcane spells.
Special: Must either read maho writings to learn the practice, study under another maho-tsukai, or summon a Shadowlands spirit.


Hit die

d8

Skill points

2 + Int

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Maho-tsukai are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any type of armor, nor with shields. Armor of any type interferes with a maho-tsukai's arcane gestures, which can cause her spells to fail (if those spells have somatic components).

Taint Suppression: While a maho-tsukai is likely to accumulate a high Taint score over the course of her life, this Taint is not immediately obvious to onlookers. A maho-tsukai's Taint manifests in mental effects—insanity, rage, nightmares—and internal physical effects. If a maho-tsukai is split open, the internal corruption is obvious: Her body is full of bloody pus and strange growths, even internal limbs. If a maho-tsukai enters the Shadowlands, her corruption immediately manifests externally as well. Barring these two conditions, it is impossible to detect a maho-tsukai based on appearance.

A maho-tsukai no longer applies her Taint score as a penalty to her Constitution, but still applies half of her Taint score as a penalty to her Wisdom.

A maho-tsukai accumulates Taint for casting maho spells, just like a shugenja or sorcerer does. See Maho and the Taint, in this chapter. All spells a maho-tsukai casts are maho spells.

Spells: A maho-tsukai casts arcane spells, much like a sorcerer. Rather than using a key ability score for spellcasting, maho-tsukai use their Taint scores. To cast a spell, a maho-tsukai must have a Taint score at least equal to the spell's level. Maho-tsukai bonus spells are based on a number equal to the character's Taint score + 10, and saving throws against maho spells have a DC of 10 + spell level + the maho-tsukai's Taint score. The maho-tsukai's spell list appears below.

A maho-tsukai is limited to casting a limited number of spells of each level per day, but she need not prepare her spells in advance. The number of spells she can cast per day is improved by her bonus spells, based on her Taint score. The number of spells a maho-tsukai knows is not affected by her Taint score.

Blood Component: A maho-tsukai must substitute a drop of blood for a spell's material component or focus, if any. She has two options: use her own blood or use someone else's.

If she uses her own, the minor knife cut to draw the requisite blood is a free action that becomes a normal part of casting the spell. The maho-tsukai does not need to make a Concentration check to complete the spell, despite the wound. Using this ability deals the maho-tsukai 1 point of damage.

Substituting blood for a costly material component requires drawing a greater amount of blood. The maho-tsukai deals more damage to herself when doing so, according to the table below. When using blood to replace a costly component, the maho-tsukai must make a Concentration check (DC 10 + damage taken + spell level) to successfully cast the spell.

Component Cost (gp) Damage Dealt
1—50 5
51—300 11
301—750 17
750+ 23

*Note: Using another person's blood to serve as the material component or focus of a spell adds a full round to the casting time for the spell. The victim must be helpless or willing, and the cost is double (in hit points or temporary Con damage) what it would be if it were the caster's blood.

Spell Conversion: A maho-tsukai can "trade in" levels in another spellcasting class for additional levels of maho-tsukai spellcasting ability. Each level of prior spellcasting ability counts as one additional level as a maho-tsukai for purposes of determining spells known and spells per day only. Spells previously learned as a shugenja or sorcerer count against the character's total spells known, but the maho-tsukai casts them now as arcane maho spells, spilling blood during the casting as a blood component. Maho-tsukai do not learn more cantrips or gain more 0-level spells per day as they advance. When a maho-tsukai advances a level, she can learn her new spells from either her old spell list or the maho-tsukai spell list, but casts all her spells as maho spells regardless.

For example, a 5th-level sorcerer becomes a maho-tsukai when she reaches 6th level. As a sorcerer, she knew six 0-level spells, four 1st-level spells, and two 2nd-level spells. As a maho-tsukai, she converts her sorcerer levels to maho-tsukai spellcasting ability, and can now cast spells as a 6th-level maho-tsukai. She learns one new 1st-level spell (a total of five), one new 2ndl-evel spell (a total of three), and two 3rd-level spells as well. She casts all her spells—whether she knew them before her "conversion" or not—as maho spells, using blood components. She still knows her six cantrips, and can cast six 0-level spells per day for the rest of her career.

Maho Metamagic: A maho-tsukai who learns metamagic feats can apply them by paying an additional cost in blood. By draining blood, the maho-tsukai can enhance her spells without using a higher-level spell slot. The cost is a number of points of temporary Constitution damage equal to the level of the metamagic spell. Thus, to cast a vampiric touch spell with the Empower Spell feat applied costs the maho-tsukai 5 points of temporary Constitution damage (3rd-level spell + two levels for Empower Spell). The maho-tsukai cannot enhance a spell to a level higher than he can cast by this means. For example, a maho-tsukai must be at least 9th level to cast an Empowered vampiric touch, even though the spell uses only a 3rd-level slot.

Level Advancement: The power of maho is seductive. Once a character has tasted its attractions, it is hard to resist. If a maho-tsukai wishes to advance in level in another class, she must make a successful Will saving throw with a DC equal to 10 + her Taint score. If she fails the saving throw, she must advance her maho-tsukai level. If she succeeds at this saving throw, she can advance the level in another class, though she must still attempt the saving throw the next time she gains a level.

Advancement

———— Spells per Day* ————
Level BAB Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1st +0 +2 +0 +0 Taint suppression, blood component, spell conversion, maho metamagic 3
2nd +1 +3 +0 +0 4
3rd +2 +3 +1 +1 5 3
4th +3 +4 +1 +1 6 4
5th +3 +4 +1 +1 6 5 3
6th +4 +5 +2 +2 6 6 4
7th +5 +5 +2 +2 6 6 5 3
8th +6 +6 +2 +2 6 6 6 4
9th +6 +6 +3 +3 6 6 6 5 3
10th +7 +7 +3 +3 6 6 6 6 4
11th +8 +7 +3 +3 6 6 6 6 5 3
12th +9 +8 +4 +4 6 6 6 6 6 4
13th +9 +8 +4 +4 6 6 6 6 6 5 3
14th +10 +9 +4 +4 6 6 6 6 6 6 4
15th +11 +9 +5 +5 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 3
16th* 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 4
17th* 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 3
18th* 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 4
19th* 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5
20th* 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
*No character can actually reach a level above 15th as a maho-tsukai, but through spell conversion a character may have the spellcasting ability of a higher-level maho-tsukai.

Maho-Tsukai Spells Known
Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1st 2
2nd 3
3rd 3 1
4th 4 2
5th 4 2 1
6th 5 3 2
7th 5 3 2 1
8th 5 4 3 2
9th 5 4 3 2 1
10th 5 5 4 3 2
11th 5 5 4 3 2 1
12th 5 5 4 4 3 2
13th 5 5 4 4 3 2 1
14th 5 5 4 4 4 3 2
15th 5 5 4 4 4 3 2 1
16th 5 5 4 4 4 4 3 2
17th 5 5 4 4 4 4 3 2 1
18th 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 3 2
19th 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 3 3
20th 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 3

Class skills

Skill name Key ability Trained only Armor check penalty
Alchemy Int yes no
Bluff CHA no no
Concentration CON no no
Hide DEX no yes
Knowledge (arcana) INT yes no
Knowledge (Shadowlands) INT yes no
Scry Int yes no
Spellcraft INT yes no

Spells for Maho-tsukai

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