Warmage

The Pros and Cons of a Warmage

Warmages have no use for subtle spells, and even their magical training relies more on brute force than on careful mental work. A warmage excels at only one thing: dealing large amounts of damage quickly. Fortunately, it's tough to go wrong when you have that ability.

Warmage Assets

When you choose a warmage, you gain access to a fixed list of spells that damage, kill, confuse, or debilitate creatures. You have a limited ability to change the spell list, plus a few extra tricks up your sleeve as well. Below are several assets you have going for you when you choose a warmage.

• Spells: The warmage spell list doesn't have much breadth, but it includes attack spells that can hurt almost any kind of foe.

• Spontaneous Spellcasting: A warmage doesn't have a spellbook, but neither does he choose a personal repertoire of spells -- he knows every spell on the warmage spell list. He does have a daily limit on the number of spells of each level he can cast, but he can freely cast any spell on the warmage spell list until he reaches that limit. So he doesn't have to guess ahead of time which spells to prepare -- if he needs to cast a particular spell several times in the same day, he can do so.

• Winning Ways: A warmage needs to have a high Charisma score because that ability governs his spellcasting. But a high Charisma score also gives him an edge in negotiations, helping him make inquiries, interrogate prisoners, and negotiate with anyone he can manage to talk to. Sometimes talking proves more effective that fighting, even for a warmage.

• Good Will Saves: A warmage uses the best save progression in the game for Will saves (see Table 3-1 in the Player's Handbook). This natural mental strength helps him resist most effects that fool his mind or assault his spirit, including charms, compulsions, illusions, fear effects, and even inflict spells.

• Fair Weapon Selection: The warmage is proficient only with simple weaponry. Though simple weapons aren't the most deadly ones available, the fact that the warmage has access to the whole category gives him more options than most other arcane spellcasters have. That versatility can be a lifesaver if his spells happen to fail him.

• Warmage Edge: A warmage adds his Intelligence bonus to the damage he deals with spells (see the class description for details).

• Advanced Learning: At 3rd, 6th, 11th, and 16th level, a warmage can add a new wizard spell of his choice from the Evocation school to his warmage spell list (see Spells, above). This ability allows him more flexibility by granting access to spells such as Tenser's floating disc, Leomund's tiny hut, and wall of force.

• Bonus Feats: At 7th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level, a warmage gains a bonus metamagic feat that makes the spells he casts more potent in some fashion.

Warmage Weaknesses

The warmage's free access to attack spells and other advantages come at a price. Below are a few of the disadvantages you should keep in mind if you're considering a warmage character.

• Mediocre Hit Points: The warmage's 6-sided Hit Dice give him more hit points than most arcane spellcasters have, but not enough to withstand really heavy punishment.

• Mediocre Skill Points: At a mere 2 skill points per level, most warmages don't accumulate many skill ranks, even with quadruple skill points at 1st level. Still, the typical warmage builds up his Intelligence score so that he can take advantage of the warmage edge class feature, and a high Intelligence modifier improves his skill points somewhat.

• Mediocre Armor Class: At 1st level, a warmage is proficient with light armor, light shields, and bucklers. He ignores arcane spell failure chances when using any of these items. At 8th level, he gains proficiency with medium armor and can ignore the arcane spell failure chance when using it, with or without a light shield or buckler. This limited ability to use armor gives the warmage a better Armor Class than most arcane spellcasters have, though his AC still isn't great.

• Poor Attack Bonus: A warmage's base attack bonus is +1 per two warmage levels, which is the worst in the game. Warmages can dish out lots of damage with their spells, but they don't do well with weapons.

• Poor Reflex and Fortitude Saving Throws: Warmages have the worst progression for Fortitude and Reflex saves in the game (see Table 3-1 in the Player's Handbook). Thus, they aren't so great at avoiding attacks on their bodies.

• Limited Spell Choices: The warmage can cast spells from the warmage spell list, and only from that list. The advanced learning class feature allows him to make a few additions to the list and personalize it somewhat, but for the most part, he is stuck with the spells that his class list offers. The warmage list is great for deadly combat, but it isn't much good for other purposes.