Alteration

Description: Spells of this school enable the caster to channel magical energies to cause direct and specific change in an existing object, creature, or condition. Alterations can affect a subject's form (polymorph other), weight (feather fall), abilities (strength), location (teleport without error), or even his physical well-being (death fog).

Specialist Name: Transmuter.

Allowed Races: Only a caster with human blood can channel the magical energies necessary for alteration spells. Hence, only humans and half-elves can become transmuters.

Ability Requirements: Because alteration spells have somewhat more complex somatic components than spells from other schools, a wizard needs a Dexterity score of at least 15 to become a transmuter.

Saving Throw Modifiers: All opponents modify their saving throws by -1 when attempting to save against an alteration spell cast by a transmuter. A transmuter adds a +1 bonus when saving against alteration spells cast by others.

Bonus Spells and Acquired Powers: A transmuter can memorize an extra spell at each spell level, providing that at least one of the memorized spells is from the school of alteration. When a transmuter reaches 17th level, he receives one extra non- weapon wizard proficiency of his choice; this is in addition to the number of non-weapon proficiencies he is normally allowed. When he reaches 20th level, he receives another extra non-weapon wizard proficiency. If the wizard already has all of the non-weapon wizard proficiencies available to him when he reaches level 17 (or level 20), he may take a general non-weapon proficiency instead.

Oppositional Schools: A transmuter can't learn spells from the schools of abjuration and necromancy.

Spell Analysis: No school has a wider variety of spells than the school of alteration, making the transmuter the most versatile of all the specialists. The available spells can be assigned to six general groups:

1. Defensive Spells. This group of protective spells offers defensive capabilities rivaling those of the abjuration school. This group includes spells that limit an opponent's ability to attack, such as fog cloud, solid fog, slow, and darkness, 15' radius, and also spells that provide direct protection to the caster and his party, such as stoneskin and Leomund's tiny hut.

2. Offensive Spells. This group includes spells such as strength and haste which increase the party's chance to inflict damage, and spells such as Melf's minute meteors and death fog which inflict damage directly.

3. Mobility Spells. This group includes fly, blink, passwall, and teleport and other spells that improve the caster's ability to move from place to place.

4. Security Spells. This group enables the caster to protect objects and places, and includes spells such as wizard lock, guards and wards, and Leomund's secret chest.

5. Talent Spells. This group gives the caster (or a person of the caster's choice) a temporary talent, usually one that duplicates a special ability of another creature or race. Such spells include infravision, water breathing, and tongues.

6. Special Spells. This group encompasses a wide range of spells that don't fit into into any of the previous categories, such as magic mouth, mending, message, and fool's gold. Because of the variety of spells available, a transmuter can assume a number of different roles in an adventuring party. For instance, a transmuter who knows a number of offensive spells can battle effectively alongside a party's warriors. A transmuter who knows a few mobility spells in addition to some offensive spells makes an especially impressive combatant (imagine a flying transmuter soaring to the top of a tree, then casting Melf's minute meteors at an unsuspecting enemy). With a supply of defensive spells, a transmuter can assume many of the functions of an abjurer. A transmuter with spider climb, deeppockets, and knock is a good substitution for a thief; add polymorph self and passwall, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a better spy. The transmuter always runs the risk of being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of available spells and making haphazard or ill-informed decisions about which spells he learns and memorizes. Therefore, he must take care to balance his spell choices with the needs of his party.

Most Desirable Spells:

Low-Level: Of the 1st-level spells, burning hands is a nice choice for an offensive spell since it has a longer range than shocking grasp and does more damage at higher levels. Chromatic orb is a better choice yet. With its reversible option, enlarge gives the transmuter a wealth of options and is particularly useful in combat since it affects damage rolls. Fog cloud and pyrotechnics both have two different forms, essentially giving the transmuter two spells for the price of one. Fly expands the transmuter's strategic options and is perhaps the best all-around low-level alteration spell. Both slow and haste can influence melee combat dramatically, since a number of subjects are affected at the same time.

Medium-Level: Polymorph self and polymorph other can disguise friendly characters, intimidate enemies, and in the case of polymorph other, greatly enhance the party's chance of combat success, since the subject's Armor Class and attack routines can be improved by the spell. Death fog and disintegrate are powerful offensive spells, and teleport is a first-rate mobility spell. Of the medium-level spells, there are none better than Tenser's transformation, assuming the transmuter has a dagger or staff at hand to take advantage of his increased attack effectiveness, and Mordenkainen's lucubration, which gives the transmuter access to any 1st-level through 5th-level spell used in the previous 24 hours.

High-Level: Incendiary cloud is a terrific offensive spell, and shape change and time stop are both helpful in a variety of situations. The most useful high- level spell is probably polymorph any object, since it can duplicate the effects of many other spells, including polymorph other, transmute rock to mud, and stone to flesh.

Ethos: Wizards drawn to the specialty of alteration are typically curious, sharp-minded, and deeply analytical. Fascinated by putting things together and taking them apart again, they are natural tinkerers, more interested in objects than in people.

Transmuters generally aren't prone to profound philosophic insights, as their minds are more attuned to how things work than how a society functions. To a transmuter, a person is essentially a complicated, difficult-to-understand machine. They are obsessive collectors, excellent scholars, and clear thinkers. According to a transmuter, the only constant in the universe is change; concepts of good and evil are relative, dependent on existing conditions, and seldom permanent. Forces of good and evil are constantly at work on neutrality, but since good causes less disruption than evil, good is preferable. Consequently, many transmuters are of good alignments.

Eager to explore the world around them, transmuters are willing members of adventuring parties. They are loyal followers but reluctant leaders, since they have trouble making decisions based on instinct alone. Although loyal to their friends, they seldom establish close relationships. Married transmuters are few.

Transmuters are most comfortable in large cities where they have access to a variety of supplies, consultants, and other resources for their studies. Most societies welcome transmuters, generally considering them to be emotionally distant but harmless eccentrics. Transmuters commonly earn their livings as teachers, advisors, inventors, and manufacturers of medicines, potions, and other preparations

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