Archmage

For most practitioners of the arcane arts, learning magic requires a great deal of study and practice. Even for those who draw magic from their blood, the effort can be taxing. Not so for the archmage. This master of the arcane draws power from the very fabric of reality itself, learning to weave magic easily and naturally.

The archmage is the master of arcane magic, and many of the abilities of this path enhance your ability to cast arcane spells or greatly increase their potency. In addition, may of the options in this path increase your knowledge of magic and of those who wield it. At the highest tiers, you can begin to break down the walls between the different types of magic and alter the very fabric of reality itself.

**Classes**: The archmage is the most common path selection for characters capable of casting arcane spells, particularly sorcerers and wizards. Bards, summoners, and witches will find that this path has a great deal to offer, though some other paths might also prove useful to them.

**Bonus Hit Points**: Whenever you gain an archmage tier, you gain 3 bonus hit points. These hit points stack with themselves, and don’t affect your overall Hit Dice or other statistics.

Whenever you cast a spell that specifically targets a limited number of targets (such as “one creature/level” or “one or more creatures”), add your tier to the number of targets the spell can affect. For example, a 5th-level wizard/1st-tier archmage can target up to six creatures when casting *haste* (five from caster level 5th and one from 1st tier). Alternatively, you can expend one use of mythic power when casting a spell that affects only one target (such as “one creature”) to have the spell affect an additional target. If the spell requires you to succeed at a melee touch attack, you must hold the charge (*Core Rulebook* 185) in order to make a second touch attack.

Treat your caster level as 4 higher when determining the duration of spells you cast. This doesn’t alter any other variable effects of the spell.

Select one of the following abilities. Once chosen, it can’t be changed.

Your mythic power intensifies your sorcerer bloodline. Select an additional bloodline feat from your bloodline’s list of feats. You must meet the prerequisites for that feat. You can also cast each of your bloodline spells once per day without them counting toward the number of spells you can cast per day. You must have the bloodline class feature to select this ability.

You automatically succeed at concentration checks to cast arcane spells. This ability doesn’t apply to spells of the highest spell level you can cast.

Whenever you spend a standard action, move action, or swift action to activate an arcane school power, bardic performance, bloodline power, hex, or magus arcana, you can also activate an ability that uses mythic power as a free action. The mythic ability you activate must require the same action type as the other ability you activated or faster (a swift action is faster than a move action, and a move action is faster than a standard action).

Whenever you spend a standard action, move action, or swift action to implant a mesmerist trick (including masterful tricks), or use a discipline power, focus power, spirit power, touch treatment, or utility wild talent, as a free action you can also activate an ability that uses mythic power. The mythic ability you activate must require the same action type as the other ability you activated or a faster one (a swift action is faster than a move action, and a move action is faster than a standard action).

You can craft any magic item as if you had the necessary item creation feats. If you actually have the item creation feat needed for a magic item you’re crafting, whenever you attempt a skill check to create that item, roll twice and use the higher result, and you make twice as much progress on the item for any time spent. This ability does not reduce the item’s cost or any other requirements.

You automatically identify any arcane spell cast within 60 feet of you if it’s on your class’s spell list and you’re of a high enough level to cast it. Whenever you attempt to identify a non-artifact magic item using *detect magic*, you automatically learn its properties and command words in the first round of the spell (no Spellcraft roll needed), but you can’t automatically determine whether it’s cursed.

You are adept at breaching magical defenses and overcoming resistance to your magic. When attempting a caster level check to dispel an effect, overcome spell resistance, or otherwise determine whether your magic affects a target (such as with *knock* or *neutralize poison*), roll twice and take the higher result.

You are connected to one of the elemental planes. Select one elemental plane: air, earth, fire, or water. Whenever you cast a spell with a descriptor matching that plane, add your tier to your caster level for that spell. You gain resistance 10 against an energy type associated with your chosen plane—electricity for air, acid for earth, fire for fire, and cold for water. At 6th tier, this resistance increases to 20. At 9th tier, this resistance increases to 30.

You are protected by armor made of force. This armor grants you an armor bonus to AC equal to 3 + your tier. This ability is an abjuration effect with a spell level equal to your tier. If this armor is dispelled or otherwise ended, you can reactivate it as a swift action.

Whenever you cast a spell with the acid, cold, electricity, or fire descriptor, you can expend one use of mythic power to switch the energy type to a different one of those energy types. If the spell normally has its original energy type as a descriptor, it loses that descriptor and gains the new type as a descriptor. All other effects of the spell remain unchanged.

Your mythic presence enhances the power of certain magic items. Add half your tier to the caster level of potions, scrolls, staves, and wands you use. When using a staff or wand, you may activate the item by expending one use of mythic power instead of one of the item’s charges.

Choose a single implement school you have access to. For each spell level that you can cast, you add one additional spell from that school of magic to your list of spells known. Additionally, by expending one use of mythic power as a swift action, you can add 2 points of mental focus to a single implement associated with the chosen implement school. These points of mental focus are created from the expended mythic energy and do not come from your daily allotment of mental focus. You must be touching the implement in which the mental focus will be invested when you use this ability.

Your ability to recall information is astounding. When you take 10 on any Intelligence-based skill check, add your tier to the result. As a free action, you can expend one use of mythic power to ask one question as if using *divination*. The base chance for a correct answer is 70% + your highest arcane caster level + your tier (maximum 100%). The answer doesn’t come from a divine agent, but from your own native understanding; therefore, the answer is never cryptic. If you don’t get a correct answer, it’s like failing a Knowledge check, and you can’t use this ability on this question again.

Your mythic power enhances your ability to counter others’ spells. As an immediate action, you can expend one use of mythic power to attempt to counter a spell. This ability otherwise works like readying an action to counter a spell, except instead of using the exact spell or *dispel magic*, you can instead expend a spell or spell slot of a level equal to or higher than the target spell.

Select one wizard arcane school that is not your arcane school. You gain powers from that arcane school, treating your tier as your wizard level for the purposes of these powers. Once you have chosen the arcane school, it cannot be changed. You cannot select an arcane school that is one of your opposition schools. You must have the arcane school class feature to select this ability. You can choose this ability up to three times, each time selecting another arcane school other than your own.

You have bound yourself so deeply to your familiar that your life forces are intertwined. Anytime you or your familiar takes damage, you may split the damage evenly between you and your familiar as if using *shield other*. Using this ability doesn’t require an action, but it works only if you’re conscious and both you and your familiar are alive. You must have a familiar to select this ability.

Your wizardly studies have moved beyond the concept of opposition schools. Select two opposition schools. These are no longer opposition schools for you, preparing spells from one of these schools now only requires one spell slot of the appropriate level instead of two, and you no longer take the –4 Spellcraft penalty for crafting items from an opposition school. You must have the arcane school class ability to select this ability, and your arcane school can’t be universal.

When determining the effects of your bloodline powers, you’re considered 4 levels higher. This increases the effects of powers you have access to, but doesn’t grant you powers at a lower level than normal. If you have a sorcerer bloodline power that can be used multiple times per day, such as metamagic adept, you gain a number of extra uses of that power equal to half your tier (minimum 1). You must have the bloodline class feature to select this ability.

Your hexes are more effective against non-mythic targets. When you use a hex that requires a saving throw against a non-mythic target, that target is automatically affected for 1 round (which doesn’t count toward the hex’s duration) and can’t attempt a saving throw to resist the hex. On your turn the next round, the creature attempts its saving throw as normal. If it succeeds at this saving throw, it breaks free of the hex; otherwise, it’s affected as normal. You must have the hex class feature to select this ability. You can select this ability twice. If you select it a second time, it also affects your major hexes.

When determining the effects of your arcane school powers, you’re considered 4 levels higher. This increases the effects of powers you have access to, but doesn’t grant you powers at a lower level than normal. If you have an arcane school power that can be used multiple times per day, such as blinding ray, you gain a number of extra uses of that power equal half your tier (minimum 1). You must have the arcane school class feature to select this ability.

**Requirement**: Cenotaph

When casting a necromancy spell, you can expend one use of mythic power as a free action to increase its caster level by your tier (minimum 2).

At 1st tier and every tier thereafter, select one new path ability from the archmage path abilities lists or from the universal path abilities lists (see page 50). Once you select an ability, it can’t be changed. Unless otherwise noted, each ability can be selected only once. Some abilities have requirements, such as a class ability or minimum mythic tier, that you must meet before you select those abilities.

You have discovered the secret to preparing spells without having to refer to outside sources. You no longer need to prepare spells from a spellbook (if you’re a magus or wizard) or a familiar (if you’re a witch). You still must spend the normal amount of time preparing spells. You may keep or discard your spellbook or familiar.

You can prepare a spell in an open spell slot in only 1 minute instead of the normal 15 minutes. You can prepare spells in all of your available spell slots in only 15 minutes instead of the normal 1 hour. As a swift action, you can expend one use of mythic power to instantly prepare one spell in an open spell slot.

**Requirement**: Mana Well

As an immediate action, you can expend one use of mythic power to ward against a spell that would require you to make a saving throw. You attempt a Spellcraft check instead of your saving throw, with a natural 1 automatically failing and a natural 20 automatically succeeding as normal for saving throws. If you succeed at this check against a spell that has a reduced effect with a successful saving throw, it has no effect on you instead. You must choose to use this ability before rolling the saving throw, and you must be capable of using either verbal or somatic components to enact the ward.

You can instantly remix any potion you touch to alter its effects. You can expend one use of mythic power to change the spell or formula contained in a potion or extract to that of any spell or extract you have prepared of the same spell level. The resulting potion uses the caster level of the original potion. The new spell contained in the potion or elixir must be one that could normally serve as a potion. If the effect you are trying to use requires expensive material components, you must provide them at the time of the change. The DC of a Perception check to successfully identify the powers of the potion (normally equal to 15 + the potion's caster level) increases by an amount equal to your tier.

Your spells and effects become more difficult to identify and dispel. Add your tier to the DC of any checks to identify your spells, recognize them as they are being cast, or dispel them using *dispel magic* or similar effects.

As a standard action, you can see and hear through your familiar’s eyes and ears. While using this ability, you can’t see or hear using your normal senses. You can speak through your familiar using any language you know, even if the familiar can’t normally speak. You may end the link and restore your own senses as a standard action. While linked, you can expend one use of mythic power to cast a spell and have it originate from your familiar instead of you. You must have a familiar to select this ability.

Your ability to magically adopt other forms is unparalleled, and you can expertly translate your arcane might into brawn. You add half your tier to the caster level of spells or extracts from the polymorph subschool. While under the effects of a spell or extract of the polymorph subschool, you can use your caster level instead of your base attack bonus when making natural attacks that rely on your new form.

Whenever you cast or use an arcane polymorph spell, you can grant the target the ability to expend 1 minute of the spell’s duration to assume another form allowed by the spell. Changing form in this way is a standard action. The target can assume another form as often as it likes for the duration of the spell. If you’re the target, you can change forms as a swift action rather than a standard action. If you expend one use of mythic power when you cast the spell, you can also grant the target the ability to assume the shape of one specific individual that the spell could duplicate (for example, the target could use polymorph to assume the form of a specific animal, humanoid, or elemental, but not a dragon because dragon forms aren’t allowed by *polymorph*). This specific creature must be known to you, but it doesn’t have to be known by the target. The target gains a +10 bonus on Disguise checks to pass as that individual, but Bluff checks or knowledge of the individual might be required to make the disguise truly convincing.

With a quick sprint, you retaliate against the caster of a spell you countered. When you successfully counter a spell, you can move up to your speed as part of the counterspell action, as long as you end your movement with the target of the counterspell within melee reach. Your movement from this ability doesn’t count toward your total movement for the round. If the target’s casting would have provoked an attack of opportunity, you can immediately take an attack of opportunity against the target.

You can use *mage hand* or *open/close* at will as a standard action, and you can affect unattended magical objects with *mage hand*. The weight limit for these abilities increases by 5 pounds per tier. Treat your caster level as 2 levels higher when casting* levitate*,* telekinesis*, and similar spells.

When casting a melee touch spell, you can expend one use of mythic power to throw that spell as a ranged touch attack. The range of this thrown spell is 10 feet per tier. If the spell allows you to make multiple melee touch attacks, you may make any number of the attacks as melee touch attacks and throw the rest as you see fit.

Your familiar is able to assume the shape of a single masterwork amulet, ring, staff, wand, or weapon. While it's in this form, treat the familiar as an intelligent magic item with the familiar's mental ability scores but no magical abilities. You can add magical enhancements, intelligent item powers, and intelligent item senses as if you possessed the appropriate crafting feat. (For example, if your familiar transforms into a staff, you could craft it into an intelligent *staff of fire* as if you possessed the Craft Staff feat.) You must still pay for enhancements as normal. As a standard action, the familiar can transform into and out of its item form and does so in such a way that you can have it immediately equipped when the transformation is complete. While in item form, your familiar retains its original hit points, but gains the hardness of the item it transforms into. If your familiar takes enough points of damage in item form to become broken, it automatically reverts to its familiar form and cannot change to item form again until it is healed to its maximum hit point total. You must have a familiar to select this path ability.

At 10th tier, whenever you cast an arcane spell that targets one or more non-mythic creatures, each of those creatures must roll any saving throws against the spell twice and take the lower result. You gain spell resistance equal to 15 + your highest arcane caster level, but only against arcane spells. Once per round when your spell resistance protects you from a spell cast by an enemy mythic creature, you regain one use of mythic power.