Class Description

Frost mages usually hail from lands of cold, snow, and ice tundra, glaciers, even outer planes perpetually shrouded in winter. Others become obsessed with the power of glacial cold and focus all their energy into discovering the mysteries of the frostfell and its magic. All frost mages, however, eventually become adapted to cold environments as their skin slowly turns to frost. They learn to take advantage of the natural or magically enhanced frostfell environment, harnessing the existing cold to further empower their own spells.

As members of this prestige class must have the ability to cast arcane spells, frost mages come from a narrow group, usually bards, sorcerers, and wizards. Some frost mage sorcerers believe silver dragon blood runs in their veins, while others feel they possess an innate talent for works of cold and ice magic. Most wizards who become frost mages see the frostfell as a mysterious and undiscovered frontier of arcane power, one from which they can draw strong magic for their own purposes.

Frost mages live and study in complexes of ice caverns, towers constructed in frozen reaches of the outer planes, or within dungeons they have magically altered into frostfell environments. Sometimes they serve more powerful evil characters singly or in a group, such as frost giants, cryohydras, or deities of cold or ice. More often, the evil frost mage commands his own forces of ice and cold, growing a frostfell army as he prepares to bring about a new ice age and become overlord of a frozen world.

Requirements

Feats: Spell Penetration

Skills: Lore: Arcana 8

Spellcasting: 1st level Arcane magic.

Class Features

Hit Die: d4

Base Attack Bonus: Low.

High Saves: Will

Weapon Proficiencies: None.

Armor Proficiencies: None.

Skill Points: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Skills: Concentration, Intimidate, Lore (all), Search, Spellcraft, Survival

Class Abilities

Level

Features Gained

1 Armor of Frost (Natural Armor +1), Spellcasting Progression
2 Resistance to Cold 10
3
4 Armor of Frost (Natural Armor +2)
5
6 One with the Cold
7 Armor of Frost (Natural Armor +3)
8
9
10 Armor of Frost (Natural Armor +4),Piercing Cold

Armor of Frost

Specifics: At 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th level, a frost mage's body becomes more like the ice he venerates. His skin turns whiter and colder to the touch as the permanent layer of frost grows deeper. This provides an increase to the character's existing natural armor starting at +1 and increasing by +1 each time to +4 at 10th. This is an enhance bonus and does not stack with other Natural AC bonuses.

Use: Automatic.

Spellcasting progression

Specifics: At every level you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known) as if you had also gained a level in an arcane or divine spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. If you had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a frost mage, you must decide which class gains the increased casting ability.

Cold Resistance 10

Specifics: Starting at 2nd level, the frost mage's icy skin grants him resistance to cold 10.

Use: Automatic.

One with the Cold

Specifics: At 6th level, the frost mage's body has become perfectly adapted to cold energy. He gains the cold subtype, granting him immunity to cold. His oneness with cold, however, makes him more susceptible to flame. He gains vulnerability to fire, which means he takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from fire.

Use: Automatic.

Piercing Cold

Specifics: At 10th level, the frost mage gains the Piercing Cold ability. This allows a frost mage to ignore any cold resistance or immunity with his cold spells. Affected Spells: Burst of Glacial Wrath, Cone of Cold, Creeping Cold, Greater Creeping Cold, Hypothermia, Icelance, Ice Storm, Lesser Orb of Cold, Orb of Cold, Polar Ray, Ray of Frost, Frost Breath

Use: Automatic.