Invocation/Evocation

Description: This school includes two types of spells, both of which use magical energy to create specific effects by bringing forth special forces that the caster shapes into constructs of energy or constructs of matter. Evocation spells use the natural magical forces of the planes. Invocation spells call on the intervention of powerful extradimensional beings.

Specialist Name: Invoker.

Allowed Races: Only humans are able to incorporate the complimentary energies necessary to master the spells of this school. Therefore, only humans are eligible to become invokers.

Ability Requirements: Because of the powerful energies involved, a lifetime of casting invocation/evocation spells is extremely stressful to a wizard's health. A minimum Constitution of 16 is necessary to specialize as an invoker.

Saving Throw Modifiers: All opponents modify their saving throws by -1 when attempting to save against an invocation/evocation spell cast by an invoker. An invoker adds a +1 bonus when saving against invocation/evocation spells.

Bonus Spells and Acquired Powers: An invoker can memorize an extra spell at each spell level, providing that at least one of the memorized spells is from the school of invocation/evocation. When an invoker reaches 17th level, he gains an additional +1 bonus when saving against invocation/evocation spells or against magical devices duplicating the effects of these spells. With his natural saving throw modifier, this effectively raises his bonus to +2. When an invoker reaches 20th level, he gains another +1 bonus when saving against invocation/evocation spells, effectively raising his bonus to +3.

Oppositional Schools: The invoker is denied access to spells from the schools of enchantment/charm and conjuration/summoning.

Spell Analysis: This school offers the specialist a range of spells of staggering power. In fact, no school has a wider variety of offensive spells available at all levels.

The high-level offensive evocation spells are nothing short of devastating; a single meteor swarm for instance, can inflict up to 160 hit points of damage. Accordingly, an invoker can be thought of as the wizardly equivalent of the mightiest fighter; when armed with a repertoire of invocation/evocation spells, the invoker is easily among the game's most powerful characters.

The invoker also has access to a number of potent defensive spells. Some of these provide protection against specific types of attacks, such as shield and fire shield, while others offer protection by hindering the actions of all enemies within the range of the spell, such as wall of fog and shout. Generally, the spells hindering enemy actions will prove to be more useful than spells protecting against a specific type of attack, unless the invoker suspects that he will be encountering specific types of monsters. For instance, if fire lizards roam the land, it's prudent to memorize fire shield.

A wise invoker realizes that the strongest spells are not necessarily the best ones. For instance, assume that a 10th-level invoker and his party are about to venture into an unknown area where large numbers of hostile creatures are rumored to live. Though the creatures are numerous, they're also rumored to be low-level, perhaps no more than 3 HD each. The invoker has both lightning bolt and Melf's minute meteors in his spell book -- which of the two will be the most helpful? The damage caused by a single lightning bolt exceeds that of minute meteors, but the lightning bolt can be used only once, while minute meteors enables the invoker to make up to ten attacks. A typical 3 HD monster has about 12 hit points. Undoubtedly, the lightning bolt will wipe out a 3 HD monster, but much of the lightning bolt's power is likely to wasted. With luck, the minute meteors will disable numerous 3 HD monsters.

It is wise to memorize powerful single-shot offensive spells (such as lightning bolt and fireball ) when the party expects to encounter high-level monsters, and to memorize multiple-shot spells (such as chain lightning and Melf's minute meteors ) capable of disabling a number of opponents when low-level monsters are expected.

Though the invoker wields great power, it's important to remember that his Armor Class is no better than that of any other specialist. An invoker armed with lightning bolt, fireball, and a range of other formidable offensive spells is still vulnerable to attacks. A party who repeatedly sends their invoker on dangerous assignments alone or an invoker who consistently volunteers for such assignments is tempting fate; a single trap or successfully executed ambush can easily mean the end of his life.

Most Desirable Spells:

Low-Level: Magic missile is the most potent 1st-level offensive spell. Fireball, lightning bolt, and Melf's minute meteors are killers, perhaps the best low-level offensive spells of any school. Wall of fog and web are the best low-level offensive spells.

Medium-Level: There are three medium-level spells whose multiple forms make them particularly attractive; interestingly, they all are all cold-based spells. These include ice storms (two forms), wall of ice (three forms), and Otiluke's freezing sphere (three forms). Dream is a similarly attractive spell, since the invoker also gains access to its reverse, nightmare. Shout, wall of iron, and Tenser's transformation are all effective as both offensive and defensive spells. Cloudkill and chain lightning are excellent additions to any invoker's arsenal.

High-Level: Limited wish is limited only by the imagination of the caster and the parameters set by the DM (see the discussion of wish spells in Chapter 7 for more information). Binding, with its six different forms, is a terrific defensive spell. All but the mightiest of opponents will yield to an invoker armed with one or more of the following: Bigby's clenched fist, incendiary cloud, Bigby's crushing hand, energy drain, and meteor swarm.

Ethos: The school of evocation/invocation attracts the most serious-minded, intense, and determined wizards. Most are single-mindedly devoted to the mastery of their craft. Invokers of good alignment devote themselves to using their skills to promote goodness and eliminate evil, willing to sacrifice their lives if necessary. For evil-aligned invokers, the magic of invocation is the key to their ascendancy; to them, good is weakness and evil is strength. Because specialists of this school are men and women of extreme philosophies, invokers of neutral alignment are rare.

Invokers are natural leaders: fearless, inspiring, and authoritative. Their courage on the battlefield is without peer, and they perform as aggressors alongside the most able fighters. Since they are introspective, soft-spoken, and emotionally distant, invokers seldom establish strong personal relationships.

Invokers will live anywhere they can maintain their privacy. Common people willingly leave them alone, fearing their power and even regarding them as dangerous, and invokers do little to dispel this reputation. They shun material possessions, needing only enough funds to finance their research. They primarily earn money as teachers, though they will occasionally sign on as members of adventuring parties in order to find treasure

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