Commercial Wizard School

Commercial wizards love to hustle. Nothing makes them happier than coming out ahead in a deal or business venture. Most consider their magic a means to an end. A way to make money and reap all the comforts and advantages wealth brings rather than the core of their being. Some simply play directly to their strengths; casting spells for cash or creating magic items. Others run conventional businesses but use their abilities to give them an edge. Commercial wizards typically stay on the right side of the law. However they often display a certain ruthlessness in pursuit of the bottom line. This sometimes causes them to push the boundaries by dealing in trades that, while legal, are still considered unsavory.

Commercial wizards who actually cross the line and become genuine criminals can command hefty fees for their services.

Despite the demands their business affairs place on them commercial wizards often get drawn into adventures. Many consider braving dungeons and the wilderness as a quick and relatively simple way to earn capital for their next endeavor. Others view adventures in a more tactical way. They undertake them as a means to earn favors, customers, or useful employees. Some even regard this sideline as a way to win fame and enhance their reputation. A form of advertising they cheerfully exploit in their corporate lives.

Commercial wizards bend their innate abilities to judge and exploit valuables, drive off thieves or other nuisances, and to safeguard property.

School Powers

Appraise and Absorb (Su)

Whenever you cast detect magic you can, instead of the normal effects and duration of the spell, choose to make an Appraise check as a swift action and study any one object you can see. You gain a bonus on this check equal to half your wizard level (minimum of 1). If applied to a magic item the DC of this check is equal to 15 + the caster level of the item. If you make this check by 5 or more you also discover the spells required to create that item and not just its approximate worth. At 5th level, if you successfully appraise a minor magic item, and the result of your check is high enough to reveal the spell or spells that underlie it, you can then, as a standard action in the following round, attempt to suppress its magical properties until the next time you prepare spells or 24 hours pass, whichever comes first. This requires an opposed caster check against the caster level of the item. While suppressed, the item loses its magical aura and all magical abilities. If the underlying spell of the item you suppressed is one you know, and you have an open or expended slot at the appropriate level or higher, you can choose to fill the slot exactly as if you had prepared that spell for the day. If this applies to multiple spells for that item you must choose which one to absorb. You need two open slots of the same level if the spell belongs to an opposition school. At 10th level this ability expands to include Medium magic items and at 15th major magic items. At 20th level you can add suppressed spells to the list of those you can cast even if you have no open slots (but you must still know the spell). However, in all cases, regardless of your level, you can only add a single spell to each spell level you can cast on any given day no matter how many items you suppress or how many open slots you have.

Slow Bolt (Sp)

As a standard action you can produce a crackling ball of energy that slowly, but relentlessly, pursues its target requiring her to either flee or suffer its destructive power. The slow bolt appears in your square and has a base speed of 5 feet. You can designate any creature you can see as its target. On any round in which the target approaches you the bolt gains a +20 foot enhancement bonus to its next move. The bolt lasts for one hour/level or until discharged dealing 2d4 points of electricity damage +1 for every two wizard levels you possess (minimum 1). Each bolt can only harm its target and you can direct multiple bolts at the same opponent (though producing each one requires its own action). You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.

Mine! (Su)

At 8th level, you can, as a full-round action, touch any object at least one size smaller than you and turn it into a booby trap that injures the first creature, except yourself and those you designate, who voluntarily come into contact with it. When touched, the object emits a surge of either acid, cold, electricity, or fire damage as you chose when using this ability. This does not harm the object. If the object was in your possession for at least 24-hours prior to you weaponizing it the target takes 1d6 points of damage for every two wizard levels you possess and half that otherwise.

The target can make a saving throw for half damage (DC equals 10 plus your Intelligence modifier plus 1/2 your wizard level). When establishing who can safely touch the object, you can designate specific individuals, all creatures with particular identifiable physical traits (gender, race, type, hair color, etc), or any combination of the two. You cannot use intangibles such as alignment, class, language, or similar criteria.

Commercial Wizard Spells

• Cantrips—detect magic, mending
• 1st level—abundant ammunition, alarm, alchemical tinkering, alter winds, break, damp powder, fabricate bullets, floating disk, hold portal, identify, jury-rig, magic aura, magic weapon, reinforce armaments, sculpt corpse, theft ward, weaken powder, youthful appearance
• 2nd level—arcane lock, arrow eruption, brow gnasher, continual flame, create treasure map, destabilize powder, fiery shuriken, knock, magic mouth, magic siege engine, make whole, masterwork transformation, misdirection, obscure object, phantom trap, recoil fire, reinforce armaments (communal), reloading hands, returning weapon, ricochet shot, silk to steel, stabilize powder, telekinetic assembly, thunder fire, warding weapon
• 3rd level—devolution, dispel magic, draconic reservoir, flame arrow, flash fire, gentle repose, improve trap, keen edge, magic weapon (greater), nondetection, pellet blast, resinous skin, returning weapon, communal, shrink item, tiny hut, versatile weapon, water breathing
• 4th level—detect scrying, fire trap, globe of invulnerability (lesser), illusory wall, malfunction, minor creation, named bullet, nondetection (communal), remove curse, resilient reservoir, secure shelter, stoneshape, true form
• 5th level—break enchantment, energy siege shot, fabricate, false vision, mage’s private sanctum, major creation, possess object, rapid repair, secret chest, summoner conduit, transmute mud to rock, transmute rock to mud, treasure stitching, village veil, wall of stone
• 6th level—antimagic field, dispel magic (greater), energy siege shot (greater), flesh to stone, guards and wards, move earth, permanent image, stone to flesh, wall of iron
• 7th level—arcane cannon, control weather, create demiplane (lesser), instant summons, mage’s magnificent mansion, rampart, spell turning, teleport object, temporary resurrection
• 8th level—antipathy, clone, create demiplane, screen, sympathy
• 9th level—create demiplane (greater), mage’s disjunction, refuge, wall of suppression