Thaumaturgist

I believe this calls for a touch of infernal fire... and then we'll splice it with some lingering decay.

Class Traits

Role: Controller. Your attack powers tend to be more focused than those of most controllers, but you have learned to empower your spells such that they have greater area or increased effects.

Power Source: Arcane. You gain your magical power from energy you draw from creatures not native to this world.

Key Abilities: Charisma, Constitution, Intelligence

Armor Proficiencies: Cloth

Weapon Proficiencies: Dagger, quarterstaff

Implement: Orbs, rods, tomes, wands

Bonus to Defense: +1 Fortitude, +1 Will

Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution score

Hit Points per Level Gained: 4

Healing Surges per Day: 6 + Constitution modifier

Trained Skills: Arcana. From the class skills list below, choose four more trained skills at 1st level.

Class Skills: Bluff (Cha), Diplomacy (Cha), Dungeoneering (Wis), Endurance (Con), History (Int), Insight (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Perception (Wis), Religion (Int).

Build Options: Focused Arcanist Thaumaturge, Overflowing Vessel Thaumaturge.

Class Features: Defensive Arcana, Metamagic, Ritual Casting, Thaumaturgic Specialty

For many, the path of the warlock is one of easy power and instant gratification - at the cost of a part of oneself that becomes owed to a creature or energy not of this world. Indeed, for every bit of energy drawn by a warlock, some of it lingers within them, guiding and directing their actions for the betterment of their otherworldly benefactor. Thaumaturgists, however, are those who have learned to wrest power away from such entities, using it as they see fit.

The thaumaturgist is a strange mix of warlock and wizard. While they draw their power from elsewhere, like warlocks, they do so in a way more typical of a wizard - via arcane ritual and practice, using long-forgotten Names and bindings to coerce and force energy from those distant powers. Where a wizard relies entirely on his knowledge, however, a thaumaturge must wrestle with the forces he commands, and thus prioritizes strength of body or spirit above - but only slightly - facility of the mind.

Often, the unrepentant siphoning of power by a thaumaturge earns them the enmity of the very spirits they rely on - but just as often, the spirits accept such 'theft' as the price of doing business, and attempt to use more subtle ways to manipulate how a thaumaturge uses their power.

Rarely, thaumaturgists are born, a sort of sorcererous variant. These thaumaturges are often considered dangerous by their more learned kin, as their natural gifts for calling and drawing upon power come without the years of caution and careful hedging that a trained thaumaturge would require before working such magic.

Creating a Thaumaturgist

Thaumaturgists rely on Charisma, Constitution, and Intelligence for their powers. You can choose any powers you like, but thaumaturgists typically choose powers with more significant control options than damaging ones.

Thaumaturgists choose spells from the warlock power list, as well as from the spells listed below.

Explosive Spell

Thaumaturge Utility

You weaken the energies of your spell, difusing their effect but allowing you to catch more targets in it.

At-Will

Arcane, Metamagic

Free action

Personal

Target: You attack with a thaumaturge power that targets a single creature and deals damage on a hit.

Effect: The triggering power gains a range of area burst 1 within the same distance that targets each creature in the burst, but you treat each die rolled for damage as though it rolled a 1.

Special: You can only use one metamagic effect each round.

Focused Arcanist Thaumaturge

Your interest in thaumaturgic lore is specific and focused - you choose a discipline and follow it wholeheartedly, allowing you to wrest more power out of it would otherwise be possible. Likewise, your ability to manipulate that energy is improved, giving you access to greater metamagic capabilities.

Class Feature: Focused Arcanist

Suggested Feat:

Suggested Skills: Arcana, Endurance, History, Perception, Religion

Suggested At-Will Powers:

Suggested Encounter Powers:

Suggested Daily Power:

Overflowing Vessel Thaumaturge

You find the notion of limiting your arcane pursuits to a single source laughable - instead, you create and discard ties to whichever power source you find most effective at any given moment. You find your versatility is much improved, but at the cost of less control than your more focused brethren.

Class Feature: Overflowing Vessel

Suggested Feat:

Suggested Skills: Arcana, Bluff, Dungeoneering, Insight, Intimidate

Suggested At-Will Powers:

Suggested Encounter Powers: Witchfire

Suggested Daily Power: Vile Brand

Thaumaturgist Class Features

Thaumaturgist have the following class features.

Defensive Arcana

The first time you hit an enemy with an arcane attack power during your turn, you gain a +2 bonus to AC and Reflex until the end of your next turn.

Metamagic

Once per round when you make an attack with a thaumaturgist at-will or encounter power, you may opt to apply a metamagic enhancement you know to it. You gain the Explosive Spell and Twin Spell metamagic powers.

Ritual Casting

You gain the Ritual Caster feat as a bonus feat, allowing you to use magical rituals.

Twin Spell

Thaumaturge Utility

You spin off excess energy from your spell - it'll barely sting, but the more subtle effects should still be intact.

At-Will

Arcane, Metamagic

Free action

Personal

Target: You attack with a thaumaturge power that targets a single creature and deals damage on a hit.

Effect: Make the attack against a second creature, but you deal no damage to the secondary target.

Special: You can only use one metamagic effect each round.

Thaumaturgic Specialty

Choose a thaumaturgic specialty. The choice you make gives you several benefits and also provides bonuses to certain thaumaturgist powers, as detailed in those powers.

  • Focused Arcanist: Your interest lies in a specific form of magic and power, and you more easily draw energy from that source, allowing you to manipulate it to a greater degree than any simple warlock. Choose a pact from the following list: dark pact, elemental pact, fey pact, infernal pact, sorcerer-king pact, star pact, or vestige pact. You benefit from pact-specific rider effects on any powers you use.
    Whenever you apply a metamagic effect to a power that has a pact-specific rider from your chosen pact, you deal full damage to a single target of an explosive spell, and gain a +2 bonus to the repeat attack roll with a twinned spell.
  • Overflowing Vessel: Where warlocks make deals with a single sponsor who provides them with power, you wrest arcane energy from wherever is most convenient. Whenever you take a short or an extended rest, choose a pact from the following list: dark pact, elemental pact, fey pact, infernal pact, sorcerer-king pact, star pact, or vestige pact. Until you choose another pact, you benefit from pact-specific rider effects on any powers you use.
    In addition, choose Charisma or Constitution. You can use your chosen attribute to replace any occurence of the other in thaumaturge or thaumaturge paragon path powers you use.

Howling Echoes

Warlock Attack 1

You unleash the memories of long-dead spirits, which slow and confuse your enemies.

At-Will

Arcane, Implement, Psychic

Standard action

Ranged 10

Target: One creature

Attack: Charisma vs. Will

Hit: 1d4 + Charisma modifier psychic damage, and the target is slowed and cannot take opportunity actions until the end of your next turn.

Level 21: 2d4 + Charisma modifier psychic damage.

Stinging Bolts

Warlock Attack 1

Barbs of magical poison launch from your hands to strike a foe, stinging and crippling him momentarily.

At-Will

Arcane, Implement, Poison

Standard action

Ranged 10

Target: One creature

Attack: Constitution vs. Fortitude

Hit: 1d4 + Constitution modifier poison damage, and the target takes a -2 penalty to its next attack roll before the end of your next turn. If the target's attack hits anyway, it takes 1d4 + Constitution modifier poison damage.

Level 21: 2d4 + Constitution modifier poison damage in both cases.

Level 1 Encounter Powers

Level 1 Daily Powers

Level 2 Utility Powers

Level 3 Encounter Powers

Level 5 Daily Powers

Level 6 Utility Powers

Level 7 Encounter Powers

Level 9 Daily Powers

Level 10 Utility Powers

Thaumaturgist Feats

Battle Binder

You rely on your siphoned power to cast short range spells in the middle of combat, trusting in your wards to keep you safe.
Prerequisite: Thaumaturgist, Defensive Arcana class feature, proficiency with a military or superior weapon
Benefit: When you wield a military or superior weapon and have at least one hand free, you gain a +1 shield bonus to your AC and Reflex, and do not provoke opportunity attacks from casting ranged or area spells.

Defense in Shadows

You use excess energy from your spells to pull a veil around yourself, making you more difficult to spot.
Prerequisite: Thaumaturgist, Defensive Arcana class feature
Benefit: When you hit an enemy with an arcane attack during your turn, you can choose to gain partial concealment until the end of your next turn instad of the +2 bonus to AC and Reflex from your Defensive Arcana feature. In addition, you count as having the warlock's Shadow Walk class feature, and concealment from this effect counts as being concealed by Shadow Walk.

Expand Spell

Your dedication to a narrow field of study has taught you to enhance the area of powers you work, granting you great versatility with them.
Prerequisite: Thaumaturgist, Metamagic class feature
Benefit: You gain the Expand Spell power.

Expand Spell

Feat Utility

You warp reality, allowing you to send part of a spell you cast to a location farther away than would normally be possible.

At-Will

Arcane, Metamagic

Free action

Personal

Target: You attack with a thaumaturge power that has a range of close.

Effect: The triggering power gains a range of area 10, with a burst radius equal to the normal radius of the spell minus 1; if the spell was a blast, the radius is equal to the normal radius minus 2.

Special: You can only use one metamagic effect each round.

Example: You use the clarion call power, which is a close blast 3. You can instead cast it as an area burst 1 within 10 squares.

Heighten Spell

Sometimes, you only need to adjust your spells to provide a tighter focus.
Prerequisite: Thaumaturgist, Metamagic class feature
Benefit: You gain the Heighten Spell power.

Heighten Spell

Feat Utility

By pouring extra energy into your spell, you make it more difficult for the target to resist, but drain yourself at the same time.

At-Will

Arcane, Metamagic

Free action

Personal

Target: You attack with a thaumaturge power

Effect: You gain a +1 bonus attacks made with the triggering spell, and the first saving throw the target makes against any effects of the spell is at a -2 penalty.

Special: You can only use one metamagic effect each round.

Rapid Metamagic

Metamagical effects aren't an easy thing to perform, but your expertise allows you to manipulate your spells even faster than most.
Prerequisite: Thaumaturgist, Metamagic class feature
Benefit: When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you can use an additional metamagic feat this round.

Versatile Binder

Even in the heat of battle, you can shift your focus from one aspect of your studies to another.
Prerequisite: Thaumaturgist, Overflowing Vessel class feature
Benefit: When you use your Second Wind or spend an action point to take an extra action, you can change the pact you have chosen with your Overflowing Vessel feature.