"You insist on attempting to master magic, but magic is no one's slave. Treat the magic as your partner, as I have, and you too may reach enlightenment."

-Kalind Leschay, an ultimate magus

Sorcerers channel unknowable powers, and wizards are expert in ancient lore, but few individuals have as thorough an understanding and mastery of arcane magic as the ultimate magus. By combining both sorcerous and wizardly abilities into a unified whole, the magus empowers herself in ways even the greatest archmage can't duplicate.

BECOMING AN ULTIMATE MAGUS

Due to the specific requirements of the ultimate magus, levels in both sorcerer and wizard are the most common method of gaining entry into this class. It might be possible for members of other spellcasting classes to do so under specific conditions, but such an occurrence is as rare as cockatrice teeth.

PLAYING AN ULTIMATE MAGUS

You possess a fascination with magic and lore greater than that of most wizards. You see magic not as a tool, but as a natural part of who and what you are. It is a part of the world in which you live, not an implement to be exploited when necessary and discarded. Everything you do, everything you see, and everything you learn is examined and analyzed as it relates to magic first, and to all other concerns second. You know that you possess great power, but you feel certain that secrets and understanding yet elude your grasp.

This doesn't mean that you have no other goals or other loves. You might adventure alongside your friends, serve your king as advisor, or fight on the battlefield for a cause in which you believe, just like any other character might. Even in the midst of all this, however, you learn and study constantly, seeking to understand how magic fits into the events around you and what insight those events can grant you that apply to your magic.

Combat

You are, if anything, even less of a melee fighter than other arcane casters. Your levels in multiple casting classes do little to improve your base attack bonus to say nothing of your hit points. Stay back out of the fray and take advantage of the vast array of spells to which you have access.

You are best served by area spells or spells that prevent enemies from getting too close to you. Where possible, focus on groups of enemies, letting the fighters in the group tackle the single foes. When you must focus on a specific opponent, do what you can to take him out as fast as possible, before he recognizes you for the threat you pose and does the same to you.

Particularly at early levels, use the spells from your higher-level arcane class for offensive effects. This strategy maximizes both the spells' likelihood of success (due to a higher save DC) and the overall effect (due to a higher caster level). Later on, your two classes likely balance out, so this becomes less of an issue.

Although you'll always lag behind a single-classed arcane caster in terms of sheer power - your highest-level spells are a level or two lower than those of such a character - your caster level keeps up reasonably well (meaning your fireball is just about as good as his). Also, your array of spells can last up to twice as long in an adventure as that of a single-classed character, and you have a few tricks up your sleeve that he can't easily match.

Advancement

You were heavily devoted to the study and mastery of magic even before you entered this class. Perhaps you were a born sorcerer, and wished to better understand the nature of your powers. Perhaps you were a wizard, and the discovery of your spontaneous abilities led you to question the knowledge you had already gained. Whatever the case, you are a driven soul with no goal outside a true understanding of arcane magic in all its forms.

You spend all your available time advancing your skills and knowledge. Whether this means battling monsters in the dungeon, unearthing ancient lore, or simply reading books at the university, nothing is more important to you.

You'll want to keep skills such as Knowledge (arcana) and Spellcraft high, if not maxed out. Choose feats that benefit both your casting styles, such as Spell Penetration and Spell Focus. Even with your extra metamagic feats, it pays to learn as many as you can (particularly those with low level adjustments).

You'll face the complex conundrum of where to assign newly learned spells. Adding a spell to your spellbook means you're not necessarily stuck with it when you don't need it, but adding it to your list of spells known means you can cast it more frequently. It's probably best to focus on spells you need only occasionally for the bulk of your spellbook, such as identify, disguise self, resist energy, see invisibility, and the like. That frees up your sorcerer spell slots for always useful spells such as magic missile, shield, ray of enfeeblement, web, and so on. Always keep your caster level in the two classes in mind - spells that don't benefit from a high caster level are good choices for your "weaker" class.

Resources

Although no organization is devoted exclusively to your particular mix of talents, you might well hold a position, or at least possess contacts, within a wizards guild or similar organization. Such cabals are fascinated by your abilities and eager to learn whatever mystic secrets you have uncovered. While they aren't likely to support you with finances or magic items, they might aid you in researching specific topics, or offer you the opportunity to trade spells with wizards, wu jen, or other preparation casters.

ULTIMATE MAGI IN THE WORLD

"I find them both fascinating and worrying, these so-called ultimate magi. Fascinating because they suggest that we have so much more to learn about magic, and worrying because they suggest that so much of what we do know may be wrong."

-Mialee, elf wizard

Ultimate magi, though rare, are found either in greater metropolises or in complete isolation. In this regard, at least, they fit the stereotype of the obsessed wizard. They might be part of a guild or a government or they might seek complete seclusion, but in either case their purpose is the same - study and knowledge. The development of ultimate magi is a logical result of the existence of both wizards and sorcerers, so DMs should have little trouble justifying their existence.

Organization

Ultimate magi have no organizations of their own. That said, many hold positions of high esteem in various arcanist guilds, or in other groups that normally allow wizards or sorcerers.

NPC Reactions

Most individuals have difficulty telling a sorcerer from a wizard, let alone recognizing an ultimate magus, and thus react to a member of this class as they would any other arcane caster. Sorcerers and wizards, however, recognize that the magi are privy to secrets they themselves lack. Arcane casters who seek knowledge and a better understanding of their powers (often, but not always, the good-aligned ones) begin one step nearer to helpful than they otherwise would. Arcane casters who master magic to gain power over others (often, but not always, the evil-aligned ones) begin one step nearer to hostile.

ULTIMATE MAGUS LORE

Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (arcana) or the bardic knowledge ability can research ultimate magi to learn more about them. When a character makes a successful skill check or bardic knowledge check, read or paraphrase the following, including the information from lower DCs.

DC 10: Ultimate magi are individuals able to progress in both prepared and spontaneous varieties of arcane magic.

DC 15: I heard of one magus who claimed to be able to apply the tricks learned as a wizard to her sorcerer spellcasting prowess.

DC 20: I once watched a magus decimate a whole horde with spells far more powerful than she should have been able to cast. It wore her down, though, like she was burning magic to empower magic.

DC 30: Characters who achieve this level of success can learn important details about a specific ultimate magus in your campaign, the areas where she operates, and the kinds of activities she undertakes.

PCs who wish to meet with an ultimate magus should make every effort to contact the nearest arcanist guild. Even if the organization boasts no such member, odds are good that its members can suggest the next place to search.

ULTIMATE MAGI IN THE GAME

An ultimate magus can appear anywhere a wizard or other studious caster would fit in. She might hold a high position in a city or wander the world like any adventurer. It is entirely possible that the PCs have met or heard of one before without even realizing it, having mistaken a magus for a traditional wizard or sorcerer.

Players who enjoy playing arcane spellcasters should find the ultimate magus an absolute delight. Although the class costs them some power, it opens up an enormous variety of options that no other single arcane casting class can provide.

Adaptation

The ultimate magus requires little adaptation, since the prestige class fits into any setting with both wizards and sorcerers, or any similar classes. That said, it would not be inappropriate to make the magi members of an elite order, rather than lone individuals. Perhaps only a select few have learned these techniques, and these masters are highly selective about whom they teach. Alternatively, in a setting in which either sorcerers or wizards are persecuted, the arts of the magi might have been developed to allow one such class to masquerade as the other.

Another variant might be one that melds two spontaneous casting arcane characters, such as a sorcerer and a warmage, allowing the two to blend their spell lists in a manner similar to the benefit of the expanded spell knowledge class feature.

Sample Encounter

PCs are likely to encounter ultimate magi when on a quest for knowledge or items of great arcane power, or when researching ancient secrets. That said, it is certainly possible to encounter a mighty magus battling the forces of evil, or an ambitious one leading an army of summoned minions. Essentially, a magus can appear in any circumstances when a sorcerer or wizard would be appropriate.

EL 9: Kalind Leschay (NG female human wizard 4/sorcerer 1/ultimate magus 4) was an apprentice to a powerful wizard when her sorcerous abilities first manifested. She remained with her mentor for several more years, until it became clear that he was more interested in studying her than teaching her. She now uses her abilities to learn more about arcane magic, as well as to protect others. When the PCs encounter her, she has placed an entire village under her protection - partly because of a nearby ancient ruin, which she is convinced possesses a few tomes in a long-dead tongue. Powerful as she is, however, she has bitten off more than she can chew, since evil powers also seek the tomes. The PCs must either stand with her or abandon her, and the village, to a dark fate.