Sun-Touched Template
“Sun-Touched” is a template that can be added to any caster of arcane spells.
The base creature’s type remains unchanged. The sun-touched creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Sun activated: During the daytime, the sun-touched creature acquires the abilities and traits as follows. In general daytime is 5am to 6pm.
HD
During the daytime a sun-touched creature always has maximum hit points. In addition a sun-touched creature also gains an additional 12 hit points per HD during the daytime.
AC
During the daytime a sun-touched creature gains a +5 natural armor bonus (if the creature already has natural armor, use whichever is better).
Special Qualities (daytime)
*Damage reduction 10/magic. If the creature already possesses damage reduction, use whichever is better.
*Fire and cold resistance 10. If the creature already possesses such resistance, use whichever is better.
*Spell resistance/power resistance 25. If the creature already possesses spell resistance/power resistance, use whichever is higher.
*Fast healing 1. If the creature already possesses fast healing, use whichever is better.
*Sorcery: A sun-touched creature gains the ability to cast spells as if he were a 20th-level Sorcerer (in addition to whatever magical abilities the character has) with a Charisma score of 20 (a character uses his own Charisma score if higher). Each day the sun-touched creature can choose to learn any number of spells in place of spells that he already knows. In effect, the sun-touched creature “loses” the old spells in exchange for the new ones. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged. This ability does not grant the ability to know or exchange spells from the sun-touched creature’s other spellcasting class(es). Spellcasting abilities gained through the this ability cannot be used to fulfill feat or prestige class requirements.
Sun Casting (Su)
During the daylight hours, the sun-touched creature can choose whether to utilize plant energy or energy from the sun when casting spells. If using sun energy, the terrain is considered abundant. Sun energy has no impact on the environment. If the sun-touched creature spends a move action during his casting (or increases her casting time by a move action for those spells that last longer than a round), he may use the Still Spell, Silent Spell, Empower Spell, or Widen spell feats without an increased to the level of the spell slot. If he extends his casting to a full round (or increases the casting time by a round for spells that take longer than a round), he may use the Maximize Spell or Extend Spell feats without an increase to the level of the spell slot.
Abilities
During the daytime a sun-touched creature gains +10 to Strength and +10 to Constitution.
Notes: If using the possible future for Athas detailed in the Prism Pentad series, then Sadira of Tyr is the ‘Sun Wizard’ and has acquired this template in the Steeple of Crystals inside the Pristine Tower. It is highly unlikely that Khidar and the ‘Shadow Giants’ have the ability to grant this template to another, and indeed, it is questionable that they had the ability to grant this template in the first place. Most likely the magic to create a sun-touched creature was left there by Rajaat (see Grave Circumstances in Dungeon Magazine #56 for another example of Rajaat doing that), and Khidar simply initiated magic that was already there.
It is possible that the sun-touched template is a prototype champion rejected by Rajaat for not being powerful enough. Equally it is possible that Rajaat ultimately rejected this ‘sun wizardry’ because it is a clean way of casting spells without harming the environment, and that stood at odds with Rajaat wanting to destroy the green age ecology that undergirds the existence of the Rebirth races.
If not using the events in the Prism Pentad series, then it is possible that a PC may be granted this template by Khidar and the Shadow Giants. Of course they have their own agenda, and who knows if this powerful gift doesn’t also come with a powerful magical or psionic compulsion.