Kender Cantripper

D&D 3e (3.0/3.5) Rules

by True Kender

To most it is an absurd and terrifying idea to think about a kender wielding the powers of the arcane. Most of these people don't believe the prospect possible; what wizard in their right mind would ever teach a kender magic? The thing is; not all wizards are entirely sane. Sometimes a wizard, generally senile or venerable in age, will take a kender as their apprentice not even realizing it. The natural curiosity of the kender makes the pursuit of studying the arcane entirely reasonable, but the lack of concentration on the kender's part makes it extremely difficult. Kender cantrippers will never attain the same proficiency with magic as wizards, but they supplement their abilities with kender skills.

Alignment: Any nonlawful.
Race: True Kender.
Hit Die: d6.

Class Skills

The kender cantripper's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all skills taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Magical Device (Cha) and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Kender cantripper is proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hoopak, longsword, rapier, sap, short sword, shortbow, and whip. Kender cantrippers are proficient with light armor and shields (except tower shields). A cantripper can cast cantripper spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. However, like any other arcane spellcaster, a cantripper wearing medium or heavy armor or using a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component (most do). A multiclass cantripper still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Spells: A cantripper casts arcane spells which are drawn from the cantripper spell list, which is identical to the wizard/sorcerer spell list. A cantripper must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time (see below).

To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the cantripper must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a cantripper's spell is 10 + the spell level + the cantripper's Intelligence modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a cantripper can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on the Spells Per Day table. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligence score. The spells a cantripper casts are identical to those of a wizard and thus he can share spells with wizards. Spells found in Cantrip Arcana are identical to their wizard spell counterparts and can be learned in the same fashion.

Unlike a bard or sorcerer, a cantripper may know any number of spells. He must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time by getting a good night's sleep and spending 15 minutes studying his cantrip arcana. While studying, the cantripper decides which spells to prepare.

Cantrip Arcana: A cantripper must study his Cantrip Arcana each day to prepare his spells. He cannot prepare any spell not recorded in his Cantrip Arcana, except for read magic, which all cantrippers can prepare from memory.

A cantripper begins play with a Cantrip Arcana containing all 0-level cantripper spells. At each new cantripper level, he gains one new spell of any spell level that he can cast (based on his new cantripper level) for his Cantrip Arcana. At any time, a cantripper can also add spells found in wizards' spellbooks, scrolls or other cantripper's Cantrip Arcana.

Cantrip Arcana are essentially spellbooks, but can be take the form of any item that can be written neatly and precisely on. Some Cantrip Arcana are in fact "borrowed" spellbooks, but many are maps held in a map case.

Caster's Skirmish (Ex): It is nearly impossible to familiarize oneself with the somewhat chaotic combative style of the cantripper. One instinctively expects to be able to attack after a spell caster casts a spell and one expects a spell caster to be unable to act defensively immediately after their spell casting. A cantripper is an exception to this idea. Cantrippers have learned to make use of this trait beyond the capability of any other spell caster and can deal extra damage and improve his defense. He deals an extra 1d6 points of damage on all attacks she makes during any round in which she uses the Quick Casting feature to cast a spell from the cantripper spell list.

This extra damage applies only to attacks taken during the cantripper's turn. This extra damage increases by 1d6 for every four levels gained above 1st (2d6 at 5th, 3d6 at 9th, 4d6 at 13th, and 5d6 at 17th level). A cantripper may add this damage to any spell that targets a living creature as long as it meets the criteria to be applied.

The extra damage only applies against living creatures that have a discernible anatomy. Undead, constructs, oozes, plants, incorporeal creatures, and creatures immune to extra damage from critical hits are not vulnerable to this additional damage. The cantripper must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. Cantrippers can apply this extra damage to ranged attacks made while skirmishing, but only if the target is within 30 feet.

At 3rd level, a cantripper gains a +1 competence bonus to Armor Class during any round in which she casts a cantripper spell. The bonus applies as soon as the cantripper has moved 10 feet, and lasts until the start of her next turn. This bonus improves by 1 for every four levels gained above 3rd (+2 at 7th, +3 at 11th, +4 at 15th, and +5 at 19th level).

A cantripper loses this ability when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load.

Persistent Caster: Every time a cantripper targets a creature he has targeted with a spell in the last day the cantripper gains a +1 competence bonus to all his spells' save DC's targeting that creature (if area effects the DC is still given the bonus; all creatures must make the adjusted DC to make the save). Every time the cantripper targets the creature, in the same day, the bonuses stack to a maximum bonus equalling his caster level. The cantripper may have bonuses towards more than one creature at a time (if more than one creature is being targeted by the same spell the cantripper uses the higher bonus to determine his spell's DC).

Quick Casting: A cantripper can choose to cast a cantripper spell as a swift action rather than a standard action without changing its spell level. The cantripper is free to use his standard action to cast a spell if he so chooses. At first level a cantripper may only cast cantrips with quick casting, every five class levels he is able to do so with the next spell level (1st-level spells at 5th level, 2nd-level spells at 10th level, 3rd-level spells at 15th level and 4th-level spells at 20th level). Spells cast through Quick Casting are harder to discern and because of this other spellcasters must make a Spellcraft check DC 25 + spell level to properly identify any spell cast through quick casting, if they fail they do not even realize a semblance of spellcasting was ever used.

Ranged Legerdemain: A Kender cantripper can perform one of the following class skills at a range of 30 feet: Disable Device, Open Lock, or Sleight of Hand. Working at a distance increases the normal skill check DC by 5, and an arcane trickster cannot take 10 on this check. Any object to be manipulated must weigh 5 pounds or less. A Kender Cantripper can use Ranged Legerdemain a number of times equal to his Intelligence Modifier (minimum 1).

Eschew Materials: At 2nd level a cantripper can cast any spell that has a material component costing 1 gp or less without needing that component. (The casting of the spell still provokes attacks of opportunity as normal.) If the spell requires a material component that costs more than 1 gp, he must have the material component at hand to cast the spell, just as normal. This applies only to cantripper spells.

On the Fly (Su): At 3rd level the cantripper once per day may swap a number of spells he had prepared equalling his Intelligence modifier for spells of equivalent level.

Multiclass Note:

A cantripper may not multiclass as a wizard, but may be treated as one of half level, though not in terms of spells, for meeting prerequisites of any kind.

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