THE PROFESSOR
Geniuses or fools? No one really knows. Gnome professors often appear as rambling inventors and scatterbrained scholars, prone to longwinded speeches and crafting odd devices that usually blow up in their faces. While many professors are indeed bumbling geniuses, for others, this is merely a ruse, causing enemies and rivals to grossly underestimate them.



REQUIREMENTS
To qualify to become a professor (Pfr), a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Race: Gnome
Skills: Craft (Alchemy) 1, Craft (Any) 2, Knowledge (Arcana) 9, Knowledge (History) 6, Knowledge (Any) 3, Perform (Oratory/Storytelling) 2, Use Magic Device 1
Feats: The character must have Scribe Scroll and one of the following: Craft Wondrous Item, Obscure Lore, Rune Focus, Scathing Wit, or Spell Focus (Divination).
Spellcasting: The character must be able to cast three Divinations without preparation. He can substitute one Divination spell for knowing two of the following spells: amanuensis, arcane mark, detect magic, fox’s cunning, glyph of warding, or read magic.

GAME RULE INFORMATION
Professors have the following game statistics.
Base Attack Bonus: Low (as a wizard)
Hit Die: d6
Saves: High Will
Class Skills: The professor’s class skills are Appraise (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (Alchemy/Any) (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Knowledge (Any) (Int), Listen (Wis), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Scry (Int), Search (Int), Speak Language (Int), Spellcraft (Int), Survival [Intuit Direction/Wilderness Lore] (Wis), Use Magic Device (Cha), and Use Rope (Dex). Skill Points: 6 + Intelligence modifier per level.

The professor devotes much of his time to intellectual pursuits and expanding his base of knowledge. At least 2 skill points per level must be spent on ranks in Craft (Alchemy), Knowledge (Any), Speak Language, or Spellcraft.

CLASS FEATURES
All of the following are class features of the professor.
Weapons and Armor Proficiency: The professor is proficient with the hand crossbow. He receives no additional armor proficiencies.

1 Acumen, Lore, Spellcasting
2 Mechanically Inclined, Oratory: Dissertation
3 Assess the Situation
4 Eureka
5 Oratory: Conjecture
6 Inventor Extraordinaire
7 Eureka
8 Oratory: Proposition
9 Rune
10 Eccentric Genius, Eureka

Acumen: The professor’s capacity for knowledge exceeds most. The maximum number of ranks he may have in Intelligence-based class skills is equal to his level + 4. In addition, he may make untrained checks in any Intelligence-based skill, even skills exclusive to other classes, as if he were trained in that skill with 0 ranks.

Lore: With a few rubs to his chin or strokes to his beard, the professor can recall the most absolutely obscure pieces of information. He makes Bardic Knowledge checks as a bard of equal level; his professor levels stack with any bard levels.

Spellcasting: The professor casts arcane spells without preparation using Charisma to determine Difficulty Class, maximum spell level, and bonus Spells Per Day. In addition, he gains a number of bonus Spells Known equal to his Intelligence modifier (if positive). The professor uses the spell progression below and can only learn spells from the following list:

code: 

                                        Spells Known/Per Day

Level                                    0                  1                  2                  3                  4                   5                  6

  1                     2/3               1/2               0/0                -                   -                   -                   -

  2                                         2/3               2/3               1/2               0/0                -                   -                   -

  3                                         3/4               2/3               2/3               0/0                -                   -                   -   

  4                                         3/4               3/4               2/3               1/2               0/0                -                   -

  5                                         4/5               3/4               3/4               2/3               0/0                -                   -

  6                                         4/5               4/5               3/4               3/4               1/2               0/0                -

  7                                         5/6               4/5               4/5               3/4               2/3               0/0                -  

  8                                         5/6               5/6               4/5               4/5               2/3               1/2               0/0  

  9                                         6/7               5/6               5/6               4/5               3/4               2/3               1/2  

  10                                       6/7               6/7               5/6               5/6               3/4               2/3               2/3 

Spell Notes: When casting any spell with a Divine Focus, Dragon Magic component, or requiring a musical instrument, the professor can substitute any small gem or glass object. Spells simply renamed, such as extrapolate and unseen assistant, operate identically to the root spell noted (augury and unseen servant, in these cases). However, sentience (awaken) can only affect Animals and Plants with an Intelligence score higher than 0 but no higher than 3; it has no effect on non-Intelligent creatures. The professor can enhance his Spellcasting with the Disjunction and Greater Sentience feats. A list of each spell’s source is at the end of this post.

Mechanically Inclined (2nd level): He has a gnomish eye for gadgetry. The professor can detect Traps as a rogue and adds his Intelligence modifier (if positive) to all Open Lock and Use Magic Device checks.

Oratory (2nd/6th/8th level): The professor can talk, seemingly without end sometimes, about any number of subjects. A number of times per day equal to 1 + his Charisma modifier (if positive), he may launch into one such lecture that duplicates a magical effect on those he targets. Each form of Oratory lasts only as long as the professor keeps speaking, up to the duration normally allowed by the spell effect when cast by a bard of equal level. All forms of Oratory are Language-Dependant, Mind-Affecting spell-like abilities that require a full round to initiate.

At 2nd level, the professor can begin droning a rambling dissertation on some obscure, uninteresting topic, causing creatures who fail their Will saves to fall to sleep (DC 10 + professor levels + Charisma modifier). At 6th level, he can conjecture and theorize about some abstract concept, confusing those who fail their save. And at 8th level, he can make a reasonable proposition, logical and compelling, subjecting those targeted to mass suggestion if they fail the save.

Assess the Situation (3rd level): Give the professor a few moments, and he’s sure to find a way. By assessing a situation for 1d6 rounds, whether on the periphery of some raging battle or while leisurely examining some unexpected obstacle, the professor can deduce a course of action most likely to result in success. During this assessment, the professor can do no more than contemplate and move at his normal movement rate; any other action requires that he begin his assessment anew. Once he understands the best action to take, the course of action must be initiated within 1 round – whether the professor takes it himself or instructs a comrade in its execution, an explanation which takes a standard action – and must occur within 1 round of initiation, called the action round.

The creature armed with this knowledge receives an insight bonus equal to twice the professor’s level (+20 maximum) to a single attack roll, skill check, or ability check that occurs in the action round. The professor designates the type of roll to be affected (BAB, Open Lock check, etc.) and the target of that roll, if applicable (gnoll chieftan, locked chest, etc.). The first roll made during the action round that matches these conditions receives the bonus; if the condition is not met, the plan succumbs to variables, the window of opportunity closes, and the insight bonus is lost.

For example, the 4th-level professor can examine a particularly complex trap for 1d6 rounds to determine the best tool to use for that job, designating his next Disable Device check on that trap as benefiting from his +8 insight bonus. Alternately, he may observe his companions fight a powerful demon for 1d6 rounds, then instruct his barbarian companion, perhaps by message, on how best to attack the demon, designating the barbarian’s next BAB attempt against the demon as benefiting from the bonus. Should the barbarian make the attack roll as instructed, she receives the +8 insight bonus to her attack roll; if she fails to initiate the action within 1 round (blocked by the demon’s henchmen, perhaps) or fails to perform the act during the action round (held before her axe is raised), the insight bonus is lost.

The professor can complete a number of assessments per day equal to his level + his Intelligence modifier. Interrupted assessments are not counted against this allowance, but failed assessments – where the condition is never met during the action round or the action is initiated too late – do count. This is an extraordinary ability.

Eureka (4th/7th/10th level): The professor has an epiphany: a revelation on the psychology of combat, some arcane breakthrough, or a personal improvement. At the indicated levels, he chooses a feat from the following list: Arcane Insight, Arcane Sympathy, Brew Potion, Chink in the Armor, Cosmopolitan, Courteous Magocracy, Craft Wondrous Item, Deceptive Dodge, Discipline, Dragon Magic, Expertise, Expert Tactician, Extra Spell, Favored Skill, Feinting Expertise, Flora/Fauna, Forceful Magic, Good Manners, Greater Spell Focus (Divination), Greater Rune Focus, Gremlin’s Touch, Improved Feint, Improved Scent, Improved Weapon Insight, Magical Artisan, Mercantile Background, Metamagician, Multicultural, Nobody’s Fool, Obscure Lore, Poison Proficiency, Predict Outcome, Riposte, Rune Focus, Runesmith, Scathing Wit, Scribe, Sense Magic, Siege Engineer, Skeptical, Smooth Talk, Sophisticated, Spell Focus (Divination), Superior Expertise, Tactical Dodge, Trustworthy, Uncanny Scent, Weapon Insight, Wildspeak, or Wily. The professor must otherwise qualify for any feat chosen.

Inventor Extraordinaire (5th level): The professor can create outlandish gadgets that duplicate the effects of arcane spells, sometimes. He can build personal, single-use devices (weighing 1 pound each) using the Brew Potion creation rules or multiple-use devices (weighing 5 pounds each) using the Craft Wand creation rules. The professor can freely use any invention of his own creation; others, however, must succeed at a Use Magic Device check (DC 16).

However, the professor’s gadgets have a nasty reputation for malfunctioning at the most inopportune times. Every time the invention is used, there is a chance of malfunction equal to 50% - 5x the professor’s level at the time of creation (to a minimum of 5%). A malfunction is treated as a mishap from a failed Use Magic Device check.

Rune (9th level): The professor’s familiarity with arcane writings and magical glyphs allows him to scribe powerful magical runes. Once per day, he may scribe a symbol as a spell-like ability, with the potency of the symbol depending on the time and care spend in scribing it, per the spell.

Eccentric Genius (10th level): The professor reaches new levels of quirky intellect. He receives a +2 inherent bonus to both Charisma and Intelligence. In addition, the maximum number of ranks he may have in Intelligence-based class skills is now equal to his level + 5.

The professor can enhance his Eccentric Genius with the Greater Sentience feat.

Epic Professor: The epic-level professor continues his Hit Die and skill point progressions. In addition, he continues to receives Eureka feats at 13th level and every three levels thereafter (13th, 16th, 19th, 22nd, etc), adding the following feats to the Eureka feat list: Additional Magic Item Space, Augmented Alchemy, Automatic Quicken Spell, Automatic Silent Spell, Automatic Still Spell, Combat Insight, Craft Epic Wondrous Item, Disjunction, Efficient Item Creation, Epic Combat Expertise, Epic Poison Crafter, Epic Rune Focus, Epic Skill Focus, Epic Spellcasting, Epic Spell Capacity, Epic Spell Focus (Divination), Epic Spell Penetration, Greater Sentience, Ignore Material Components, Improved Heighten Spell, Improved Metamagic, Improved Spell Capacity, Polyglot, Scribe Epic Scroll, Spell Knowledge, Spell Stowaway, Spell Opportunity, and Tenacious Magic.


NEW FEATS:

ARCANE INSIGHT [General]
Your natural aptitude for and knowledge of arcana grant you insight into the basic laws of magic.
Prerequisite: Any Metamagic feat, Able to cast arcane spells without preparation.
Benefit: Select up to two of the following sorcerer spells as bonus Spells Known: absorption, analyze dweomer, arcane sight, break enchantment, detect magic, dispel magic, freedom, globe of invulnerability, greater dispelling, greater spell resistance, identify, lesser spell immunity, minor globe of invulnerability, minor reflection, Mordenkainen’s disjunction, nondetection, permanency, protection from spells, remove curse, see invisibility, spell turning, true seeing, or unbinding. The combined spell levels of the spell or spells chosen cannot the maximum spell level that you can cast at the time the feat is taken minus 2.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times, choosing up to two additional spells each time. Each additional time the feat is chosen, the number of Metamagic feats you must know for the prerequisite increases by one (two Metamagic feats the second time it’s taken, three feats the third time, etc.).

ARCANE SYMPATHY [General]
Your natural ability to analyze magic grants you a sense for the magical properties of objects touched.
Prerequisite: Able to cast identify and analyze dweomer without preparation.
Benefit: You may identify at will as a spell-like ability.

ARMORED CASTING [General]
You can more easily cast arcane spells while wearing armor.
Benefit: You may ignore 5% of the Spell Failure normally associated with casting arcane spells while wearing armor (to a minimum 5% for any armor).
Special: This feat can be taken multiple times, increasing the amount of Spell Failure you can ignore by 5% each time.

DISJUNCTION [Epic] [Metamagic]
You can separate magical effects and items, even artifacts, into their base components, ruining them.
Prerequisite: Knowledge (Arcana) 30 ranks, Spellcraft 30 ranks, any three Item Creation feats, must be able to cast analyze dweomer and either break enchantment, dispel magic, or greater dispel magic.
Benefit: Once per day, you can effect Mordenkainen’s disjunction as a spell-like ability by utilizing a spell slot of the highest spell level that you can cast. Causing the effect is identical to casting the spell but has a casting time of a full-round and both Verbal and Somatic components.

EPIC RUNE FOCUS [Epic]
Your magical symbols and glyphs are far more potent than normal.
Benefit: Add +6 to the DC for all saving throws against all of your glyph, sigil, mark, symbol, magic circle, and similar rune-based spells. In addition, when computing damage, duration, or area, you cast all such spells as if you were 6 levels higher. This supercedes (does not stack with) the bonuses from all Rune Focus, Spell Focus, and Touch Spell feats.

FAVORED SKILL [General]
You have a knack for a particular skill.
Benefit: Select any non-exclusive skill or any class skill. This skill is always considered a class skill for you, and the maximum number of ranks you may have in it is equal to your character level +4.

FEINTING EXPERTISE [Fighter] [General]
You are particularly adept at being deceptive in combat.
Benefit: You get a +3 bonus on all Bluff and Sense Motive checks when part of or against combat maneuvers such as feinting, combat prediction, and decipher strategy, or using the Feign Weakness or Quicker Than the Eye feats to attack.

FLORA/FAUNA [General]
You have studied plants and animals.
Prerequisite: Knowledge (Nature) 10 ranks.
Benefit: You may identify animals and plants as if you possessed the Nature Sense class feature. Flora/Fauna does not, however, allow you to identify pure water.

FOCUSED CASTING [General]
Your sound mind allows you to ignore distractions when casting defensively.
Prerequisite: Combat Casting feat, Wisdom 14, Concentration ranks.
Benefit: You add your Wisdom modifier to all Concentration checks made when casting defensively.

GOLEMWORKS [Item Creation]
You are particularly skilled at golem creation.
Prerequisite: Spellcaster level 9th+, Craft (Any) 12 ranks, Knowledge (Arcana) 12 ranks, two of the following: the Craft Familiar or Craft Gadget class feature or the Craft Magical Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous Item, or Construct familiar feat.
Benefit: You are considered 2 levels higher for the purpose of Construct creation and pay only 75% of the normal time, material, and experience costs associated with such endeavors.

GREATER RUNE FOCUS [General]
Your magical symbols and glyphs are even more potent than before.
Benefit: Add +4 to the DC for all saving throws against all of your glyph, sigil, mark, symbol, magic circle, and similar rune-based spells. In addition, when computing damage, duration, or area, you cast all such spells as if you were 4 levels higher. This supercedes (does not stack with) the bonuses from all Rune Focus, Spell Focus, and Touch Spell feats.

GREATER SENTIENCE [Epic]
Your can bestow sentience upon magical beasts.
Prerequisite: Ability to cast awaken as an arcane spell, Eccentric Genius class feature.
Benefit: Your awaken spell can also affect Magical Beasts with Intelligence scores above 0 but no higher than 3. So awakening a magical beast costs 750xp.

GREMLIN’S TOUCH [General]
Your ability to undermine mechanics increases.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on all Disable Device and Open Lock checks and to Escape Artist checks made against purely mundane, mechanical bonds, such as cuffs, ropes, chains, etc.

IMPROVED FEINT [Fighter] [General]
You can feint as a move-equivalent action.
Prerequisite: Feinting Expertise feat, Improved Initiative feat.
Benefit: You may feint in melee combat as a move-equivalent action.
Normal: Feinting in combat is a standard action.

IMPROVED WEAPON INSIGHT [General]
You wield both muscle and mind when dealing damage.
Prerequisite: BAB +6, Weapon Insight (Chosen Weapon) feat.
Benefit: You may use your Intelligence modifier as well as your Strength modifier on damage rolls with the chosen weapon.

METAMAGICIAN [General]
Your ability to manipulate your own natural arcane magic becomes almost second-nature to you.
Prerequisite: Quicken Spell feat and at last one additional Metamagic feat, Able to cast arcane spells without preparation.
Benefit: A number of times per day equal to the number of Metamagic feats you know, you may cast a spell without preparation and with a Metamagic effect without the normal 1 round penalty to casting time. For example, a sorcerer with the Extend Spell, Quicken Spell, and Silent Spell feats who takes the Metamagician feat can cast up to three sorcerer spells each day with one of these three Metamagic effects without the normal penalty to casting time.

POISON PROFICIENCY [General]
You are skilled at handling and crafting poisons.
Prerequisite: Intelligence 13.
Benefit: You never risk accidentally poisoning yourself when handling toxins. In addition, you receive a +2 bonus to all Craft (Poisonmaking) checks and to Craft (Alchemy) checks to identify poisons.

RUNE FOCUS [General]
Your magical symbols and glyphs are more potent than before.
Benefit: Add +2 to the DC for all saving throws against all of your glyph, sigil, mark, symbol, magic circle, and similar rune-based spells. In addition, when computing damage, duration, or area, you cast all such spells as if you were 2 levels higher. This supercedes (does not stack with) the bonuses from all Spell Focus and Touch Spell feats.

SCRIBE [General]
You are familiar with obscure and arcane writing.
Prerequisite: Scribe Spell feat.
Benefit: You receive a +4 bonus on Spellcraft checks when attempting to identify glyphs, sigils, marks, symbols, magic circles, and similar rune-based spells. In addition, Decipher Script is now a class skill; if it is already a class skill for you, you now receive a +2 bonus to those checks.

SENSE MAGIC [General]
Your natural ability to sense magic grants you a sixth sense for magical auras.
Prerequisite: Able to cast detect magic and true seeing without preparation.
Benefit: You may detect magic at will as a paladin detects evil.

SIEGE ENGINEER [Fighter] [General]
You are familiar with the machines of war.
Prerequisite: BAB +4, a combined 8 ranks in Craft (Any) and Knowledge (War) with at least 2 ranks in each.
Benefit: You make all siege engine checks and attack rolls with a +4 competence bonus if personally operating the machine or a +2 competence bonus when directing a crew in its operation.

SKEPTICAL [General]
You have a sharp eye for deception.
Benefit: You get a +2 bonus on all Sense Motive and Spot checks.

SLY [General]
You are elusive and cunning.
Benefit: You get a +2 bonus on all Bluff and Move Silently checks.

SOPHISTICATED [General]
You are a cultured individual.
Benefit: You get a +2 bonus on all Appraise and Diplomacy checks.

TACTICAL DODGE [General]
You cleverly evade blows.
Prerequisite: Intelligence 14, Dexterity 14, Dodge feat, Expertise feat.
Benefit: Against the subject of your Dodge feat, you can apply your Intelligence modifier as dodge bonus to your AC when in light or no armor.

VOICE OF INFLUENCE [General]
Your Language-Dependant spells are more potent than normal.
Prerequisites: Greater Spell Focus (Enchantment), Able to cast three Language-Dependant spells, such as geas/quest, message, and suggestion.
Benefits: Add a +2 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against your Language-Dependant spells and spell-like abilities. This stacks with the effects of all Spell Focus feats. In addition, for the purposes of range, area of effect, and duration, your caster level is considered +1 when casting these spells.

WEAPON INSIGHT [General]
You know how to strike a creature with a particular weapon to do additional damage.
Prerequisite: BAB +1, Weapon Focus with chosen weapon.
Benefit: Select any single-handed melee weapon that meets the prerequisite. With this weapon, you may use your Intelligence modifier instead of your Strength modifier on damage rolls.

WILY [General]
You are difficult to pin down.
Benefit: You get a +2 bonus on all Bluff and Escape Artist checks.


Spell/Feat Sources: All spells and non-epic feats are from the Player’s Handbook, except as follows: Deities & Demigods: Greater Spell Focus feat, Superior Expertise feat; Book of Vile Darkness: Stupor; Defenders of the Faith: Lesser Telepathic Bond, Probe Thoughts; Dragon Magazine: Arcane Mark Ward (289), Deceptive Dodge feat (305), Deft (302), Dragon Magic feat (308), Eagle’s Splendor (282), Familiarity of Place (308), Forceful Magic (308), Glib Tongue (A5), Good Manners feat (305), Greater Familiarity of Place (308), Moment of Clarity (299), Nobody’s Fool feat (285), Predict Outcome feat (292), Riposte feat (304), Scathing Wit feat (291), Sudden Mastery (A5), Water Glyph (294), Wildspeak feat (291), Zap Trap (302); Faiths & Pantheons: Superior Expertise feat (again); Forgotten Realms: Cosmopolitan feat, Courteous Magocracy feat, Discipline feat, Eagle’s Splendor (again), Fantastic Machine, Greater Spell Focus feat (again), Magical Artisan feat, Mercantile Background feat, Smooth Talk feat; Magic of Faerun: Amanuensis, Blindsight, Darsson’s Potion, Greater Mage Hand, Know Protections, Know Vulnerabilities, Owl’s Insight, Simbul’s Spell Matrix, Speechlink, Suppress Glyph, Transcribe Symbol, Understand Device, Wieldskill; Manual of the Planes: Interplanar Message, Zone of Respite, Zone of Revelation; Master of the Wild: Speak with Anything; Oriental Adventures: Superior Expertise feat (yet again); Races of Faerun: Detect Metal and Minerals, Runesmith feat; Savage Species: Blindsight (again), Fox’s Cunning, Improved Blindsight, Improved Scent feat, Sonorous Hum, Speak to Allies, Uncanny Scent feat; Song & Silence: Chink in the Armor feat, Easy Math, Expert Tactician feat, Improvisation, Multicultural feat, Obscure Lore feat, Trustworthy feat, Zone of Silence; Tome & Blood: Arcane Sight, Eagle’s Splendor (and again), Extra Spell, Fox’s Cunning (again), Greater Spell Focus (yet again), Indifference, Mordenkainen’s Private Sanctum; Wizards Website: Alaunghaer’s Triptych, Combat Insight feat, Epic Combat Expertise feat, Hindsight, Magic Memory, Master’s Touch, Mirror Move, Steely Focus, Understand Object.

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