Eldritch Trickster (Sorcerer/Rogue)

Trickery and subterfuge are useful tools in obtaining power, whether political, military, or magical in nature. Some spellcasters seek to infuse these elements into their magic. In so doing, their personas are reshaped into that of a trickster, granting them greater stealth and concealment, enhancing their illusions, and allowing them to use their magic with ranged weapons. Less powerful than other sorcerers, eldritch tricksters make up for their arcane deficiency with heightened awareness, cunning, and trickery. (Original Concept by Elghinn Lightbringer)

Primary Class: Sorcerer.

Secondary Class: Rogue.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Dice: d8.

Bonus Skills and Ranks: The eldritch trickster selects six rogue skills to add to her class skills in addition to the normal sorcerer class skills, one of which must be Stealth. The eldritch trickster gains a number of ranks at each level equal to 4 + Int modifier.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The eldritch trickster is proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, shortbow, and short sword. She is also proficient with light armor, but not with shields (including tower shields). An eldritch trickster can cast sorcerer spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, an eldritch trickster wearing medium armor, heavy armor, or using a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass eldritch trickster still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Spellcasting: An eldritch trickster casts arcane spells drawn from the sorcerer spell list. Only sorcerer spells of 6th level and lower are considered to be part of the eldritch trickster spell list. She can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time. Every eldritch trickster spell has a somatic component. To learn or cast a spell, an eldritch trickster must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class (DC) for a saving throw against an eldritch trickster’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the eldritch trickster’s Charisma modifier.

Like other spellcasters, an eldritch trickster can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Eldritch Trickster. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Charisma score.

The eldritch trickster’s selection of spells is extremely limited. An eldritch trickster begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of the eldritch trickster’s choice. At each new eldritch trickster level, she gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Eldritch Trickster Spells Known. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells an eldritch trickster knows is not affected by her Charisma.

Upon reaching 5th level, and at every third eldritch trickster level after that (8th, 11th, and so on), an eldritch trickster can choose to learn a new spell in place of one she already knows. In effect, the eldritch trickster “loses” the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least one level lower than the highest-level eldritch trickster spell the eldritch trickster can cast. An eldritch trickster may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that she gains new spells known for the level.

An eldritch trickster need not prepare her spells in advance. She can cast any spell she knows at any time, assuming she has not yet used up her allotment of spells per day for the spell’s level.

Bloodline: This is exactly like the sorcerer ability of the same name, except that the eldritch trickster gains her bloodline spells at the indicated levels, up to her 6th–level bloodline spell, as shown on Table: Eldritch Trickster. The Quickling bloodline complements the Eldritch Trickster multiclass archetype.

Trickster’s Pool (Su): At 1st level, an eldritch trickster gains a reservoir of mystical arcane energy that she can draw upon to fuel her powers and enhance her weapon. This trickster’s pool has a number of points equal to 1/2 her eldritch trickster level (minimum 1) + her Charisma modifier. The pool refreshes once per day when the eldritch trickster rests to regain her spells.

At 1st level, an eldritch trickster can expend 1 point from her trickster’s pool as a swift action to create a quasi-real masterwork melee or ranged weapon of a type she is proficient with. The eldritch trickster may use this weapon to make attacks as if it were a real weapon, dealing normal damage for a weapon of its type.

The first time the eldritch trickster hits a creature with the weapon, it may make a Will save to disbelieve; failure means the weapon deals damage normally, success means it only takes 1 point of damage from the weapon’s attacks. The weapon only deals 1 point of damage to objects. If an attacked creature has spell resistance, the eldritch trickster must make a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) against that spell resistance the first time the weapon strikes it. If the weapon is successfully resisted, the weapon is dispelled. If not, the target may save to disbelieve as normal.

At 5th level, the weapon gains a +1 enhancement bonus. This bonus increases to +2 at 9th level, +3 at 13th level, and +4 at 17th level. At 9th-level, these bonuses can be used to add any of the following weapon properties: dancing, distance, flaming, flaming burst, frost, icy burst, keen, seeking, shock, shocking burst, or speed. These weapon properties have no effect if the target makes its disbelief save.

Adding these properties consumes an amount of bonus equal to the property’s base price modifier. The weapon must retain at least a +1 enhancement bonus before any other properties can be added. These bonuses and properties are decided when the trickster’s pool point is spent and cannot be changed until the next time the eldritch trickster uses this ability. An eldritch trickster can only have one such weapon in existence at one time. If she uses this ability again, or if the weapon leaves the eldritch trickster’s possession, the first use immediately ends.

In addition, an eldritch trickster can expend 1 point from her trickster’s pool as a swift action to gain a bonus to a single Disable Device, Perception, or Stealth checks equal to 1/2 her eldritch trickster level. When using Disable Device, she can use it to disable magical traps. This ability repalces cantrips.

Far Spellstrike (Su): At 2nd level, whenever an eldritch trickster casts a spell with a range of “touch” from the sorcerer’s spell list, she can deliver the spell through any light one-handed weapon she is wielding as part of a melee attack, or a hand crossbow bolt, sling bullet (or stone), or throwing dagger as a ranged attack. Instead of the free melee touch attack normally allowed to deliver the spell, an eldritch trickster can make one free melee attack (or ranged attack) with her weapon (at her highest base attack bonus) as part of casting this spell. If successful, this melee attack (or ranged attack) deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell. This attack uses the weapon’s critical range (20, 19–20, or 18–20 and modified by the keen weapon property or similar effects), but the spell effect only deals ×2 damage on a successful critical hit, while the weapon damage uses its own critical modifier.

Sneak Attack (Ex): At 2nd level, an eldritch trickster gains the rogue’s sneak attack ability, except that the extra damage is 1d6 at 2nd level, plus an additional 1d6 every three levels thereafter, up to a maximum of 7d6 at 20th level.

Imbue Ranged Weapon (Su): At 4th level, an eldritch trickster gains the ability to place an area spell upon a single piece of ammunition (an arrow, bolt, sling bullet, etc.). When the ammunition is fired, the spell's area is centered where the bullet lands, even if the spell could normally be centered only on the caster. This ability allows the eldritch trickster to use the weapon’s range rather than the spell's range. A spell cast in this way uses its standard casting time and the eldritch trickster can fire the ammunition as part of the casting. The ammunition must be fired during the round that the casting is completed or the spell is wasted. If the ammunition misses, the spell is wasted.

Rogue Training: Starting at 4th level, an eldritch trickster can choose a rogue talent that she qualifies for in place of a normal feat gained through level advancement. Her equivalent rogue level for the purpose of qualifying for talents is equal to her eldritch trickster level. At 14th level, she can choose an advanced talent in place of a normal feat.

Quick Illusions (Su): At 7th level, an eldritch trickster can cast spells from the Illusion school as if she had used the Quicken Spell metamagic feat once per day without expending a higher level spell slot. She can use this ability one additional time per day at 13th and 19th level. This ability replaces bloodline feats.

Evasive Slinger (Ex): At 10th level, an eldritch trickster gains a +2 dodge bonus to AC against ranged attacks. This bonus increases to +4 at 16th level.

Trickster’s Volley (Ex): At 16th level, as a full-round action, an eldritch trickster can make a single ranged attack at her highest base attack bonus against any number of creatures in a 15-foot radius burst, making separate attack and damage rolls for each creature. Any creature hit by the attack must make a Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 the eldritch trickster’s level + the eldritch trickster’s Charisma modifier) or become confused for 1d6 rounds. The eldritch trickster can use this ability once per combat. If the eldritch trickster has the Quicken Spell metamagic feat, she can make one of these attacks a quickened spell using her far spellstrike ability.

Table: Eldritch Trickster

Table: Eldritch Trickster Spells Known