Pact Wizard (Legendary Wizard Archetype)

The route to arcane power is a long and arduous one, often fraught with perils unimaginable. In that way, does that not make the pact wizard smarter than all others, circumventing some of that risk with the help of a patron? The risks are far outweighed by what is gained, and who better to study under than such a powerful patron.

Pact (Ex)

The pact wizard enters into a bargain with an otherworldly being to increase their magical powers.

At 1st level, they selects a patron belonging to one specific subtype of outsider for which there exists an improved familiar option (such as devil or azata). The pact wizard can select a subtype of outsider even with a diametrically opposed alignment; in this case, the patron being offers the pact in an attempt to tempt or redeem the pact wizard. A pact wizard whose alignment shifts away from the chosen outsider subtype, who grossly abuses their familiar or any outsider of the chosen subtype, or who commits egregious acts against the alignment of the patron loses all the benefits of this archetype (but keeps the additional opposition school) until they receive an atonement.

Aura

The pact wizard has an aura corresponding to the alignment of their chosen outsider as a cleric of their legendary wizard level.

Pact Focus

At 1st level, a pact wizard must choose an additional school of magic to gain as an opposition school.

This modifies the legendary wizard’s arcane school class feature.

Pact Familiar

At 1st level, the pact wizard gains a familiar, as the familiar wizard archetype. The familiar’s loyalty lies with the pact wizard’s patron, and it reports back to the patron on the legendary wizard’s activities.

This replaces the legendary wizard’s arcane bond class feature.

Pact Spells

At 1st level, the pact wizard gains a patron as the witch class feature. This patron represents the magical potential granted by the otherworldly being the legendary wizard formed a pact with, and the chosen patron should align with the abilities and ideals of the outsider.

These spells are stored in the pact wizard’s familiar, but can otherwise be prepared normally as if they were recorded in their spellbook.

In addition, the pact wizard can expend any prepared spell (or a spell slot, for path of the prodigy wizard) in order to spontaneously cast one of their patron’s spells of the same level or lower.

This ability replaces the legendary wizard’s scribe scroll class feature.

Great Power at a Cost

As the pact wizard improves their abilities, their pact begins to affect their physical body.

At 5th level, the pact wizard chooses one oracle curse, using 1/2 their character level as their effective oracle level when determining the effects of the curse.

If the oracle curse would add spells to the oracle’s list of spells known, the pact wizard instead adds those spells to their familiar, as the pact spells feature.

At 11th level, the pact wizard can invoke their patron’s power to roll twice and take the better result when attempting any caster level check, concentration check, initiative check, or saving throw. They can activate this ability as a free action before attempting the check, even if it isn’t their turn. They can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + 1/2 their Intelligence modifier. At 17th level, when the pact wizard invokes their patron’s power to roll twice on a check, they add their Intelligence bonus to the result as an insight bonus. When they apply metamagic feats to any spells they learned via their patron or curse, they treat that spell’s final effective level as 1 lower (to a minimum level equal to the spell’s original level).

This replaces the legendary wizard’s bonded advancement, bonded inspiration, and bonded union class features.

True Form

At 7th level, the pact wizard’s familiar reveals its true form, automatically transforming into an outsider improved familiar of the chosen type.