After a few years of crafting 3.5e classes, I am starting to feel like my material is becoming more refined. Ultimate Magus chassis here, with a couple of class features replacing the stuff that doesn’t make sense. Something like this should be fun PC to play, or make for interesting NPCs.
Athasian Cerebremancer
The blending of psionics with magic, whether arcane or divine, has been a longstanding practice. Cerebremancers face levels of oppression from the Sorcerer Monarchs greater than even that of single-classed wizard defilers and preservers. For whatever reason, preventing the blending of arcane magic and psionics is of particular interest to the Sorcerer Monarchs, possibly because they are known to be cerebremancers also. Only the thrallherd is hunted more than the cerebremancer, and for that reason cerebremancers are even more careful to hide their arcane abilities than other arcane casters. Even the defiler servants of the Sorcerer Monarchs are forbidden from following the path of the cerebremancer. Those that do so do it quietly.
Hit Die
d4.
Requirements
To qualify to become an Athasian Cerebremancer, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Skills
Knowledge (arcana) 8 ranks, Knowledge (psionics) 4 ranks OR Knowledge (psionics) 8 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 4 ranks.
Feat
One metapsionic/metamagic feat and one psionic/magical crafting feat.
Spells/ Psionics
Able to cast 2nd-level arcane spells and manifest 1st-level psionic powers OR able to manifest 2nd-level psionic powers and cast 1st-level arcane spells.
Adaption
The cerebremancer requires little adaptation, since the prestige class fits into any setting with both spellcasters and psions, or any similar classes. To make the cerebremancer into prestige class that advances divine spellcasting and psionics, simply change “arcane” to “divine”, and “Knowledge (arcana)” to “Knowledge (religion)” and call the class psychic theurge. If a character is somehow both a cerebremancer and psychic theurge, they get no additional benefits from the various class features except the two bonus feats. Twin Wells always has a maximum of +4 for psionic manifesting or arcane or divine spellcasting.
Class Features
Class Skills
The Athasian Cerebremancer’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (psionics) (Int), Profession (Wis), Psicraft (Int), and Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Cha), Use Psionic Device (Cha).
Skill Points at Each Level
2 + Int modifier.
Spells per Day/Powers Known
At each level except 1st, 4th, and 7th, you gain new spells per day as if you had also attained a level in any one arcane spellcasting class he belonged to before you added the prestige class. You gain additional power points per day and access to new powers as if you had also gained a level in any one manifesting class you belonged to previously. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of either class would have gained (bonus metamagic, metapsionic, or item creation feats, psicrystal special abilities, and so on).
At 1st, 4th, and 7th level, you gain new spells (or powers) per day and an increase in caster (or manifester) level (and spells or powers known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in your arcane spellcasting or manifesting class with the lowest caster or manifester level. For example, a 4th-level wizard/1st-level psion who gained one level of Athasian Cerebremancer would gain increased spellcasting ability as if he had gained a level of psion (since the psion manifester level is lower than his wizard caster level). If your arcane spellcasting and psionic manifesting classes have equal caster or manifester levels, you can apply this benefit to any of your existing arcane spellcasting or manifesting classes. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of those classes would have gained.
Twin Wells (Ex): At 1st level, your caster level or manifester for all arcane spells or psionic powers increases by 1. It increases again at 4th level, 7th level, and 10th level (to a maximum of +4).
Meta-UMD (Ex): At 2nd level, you receive a competence bonus to Use Magic Device of 1/4th your ranks (round down) in Use Psionic Device, and vice versa.
Bonus Feats: at 3rd level you gain a crafting feat for which you meet the prerequisites from the following list – craft dorge, craft wand, craft magical arms and armor, craft psionic arms and armor, craft wondrous item or craft universal item.
At 8th level you gain a metamagic or metapsionic feat for which you meet the prerequisites from the following list – empower spell, empower power, enlarge spell, enlarge power, maximize spell, maximize power, quicken spell, quicken power, widen spell or widen power.
You are considered to have the meta-crafting or meta-mastery ability for the bonus feats that you select. For example, at 3rd level you select Craft Wondrous Item as your bonus crafting feat, and are considered to have Craft Universal Item (like the meta-crafting class feature) for that feat only.
Meta-crafting (Ex): At 5th level: if you have a magic crafting feat, then you are also considered to have its psionic crafting implicit counterpart, and vice versa. For example, if you have the craft dorge feat, then you are considered to have the craft wand feat, although the feat is not actually granted. The benefits of this class feature apply if you later gain a qualifying crafting feat. Forge ring does not have an implicit psionic counterpart. You can use these virtual feats to qualify for other feats or meet requirements, but virtual feats do not count for numbers of feats. For example, if prestige class requirements call for 3 magical crafting feats, and you have 2 psionic crafting feats and considered to have two corresponding magical crafting feats, you have no feats for the purposes of qualifying for the prestige class, not 2. However, if a prestige class called for ‘Craft Universal Item’ and you have Craft Wondrous Item as a feat, then you are considered qualified for the prestige class in that aspect. The applicable counterparts are listed below.
| Arcane Crafting Implicit Counterparts | Psionic Crafting Implicit Counterparts |
|---|---|
| Scribe Scroll | Imprint Stone |
| Brew Potion | Scribe Tattoo |
| Craft Wondrous Item | Craft Universal Item |
| Craft Magic Arms and Armor | Craft Psionic Arms and Armor |
| Craft Wand | Craft Dorje |
| Craft Rod | Craft Cognizance Crystal |
| Craft Staff | Craft Psicrown |
| Craft Construct | Craft Psionic Construct |
Meta-mastery (Ex): At 10th level: if you have a metamagic feat, then you are also considered to have its implicit metapsionic counterpart, and vice versa. For example, if you have empower spell, then you are considered to have the empower power feat. The benefits of this class feature apply if you later gain a qualifying metapsionic or metamagic feat. Apply the text of the respective feat when adjudicating costs - metapsionic to powers, and metamagic to spells. If a metapsionic or metamagic feat does not have an implicit counterpart, like burrowing power or heighten spell, no additional benefit is gained. You can use these virtual feats to qualify for other feats or meet requirements, but virtual feats do not count for numbers of feats. For example, if prestige class requirements call for 3 metamagic feats, and you have 2 metapsionic feats and considered to have two corresponding metamagic feats, you have no metamagic feats for the purposes of qualifying for the prestige class, not 2. However, if a prestige class called for ‘Empower Power’ and you have Empower Spell as a feat, then you are considered qualified for the prestige class in that aspect.
| Metamagic Implicit Counterparts | Metapsionic Implicit Counterparts |
|---|---|
| Empower Spell | Empower Power |
| Enlarge Spell | Enlarge Power |
| Extend Spell | Extend Power |
| Chain Spell | Chain Power |
| Maximize Spell | Maximize Power |
| Quicken Spell | Quicken Power |
| Split Psionic Ray | Split Ray |
| Twin Power | Twin Spell |
| Widen Power | Widen Spell |
| Persistent Spell | Persistent Power |
