Base Requirements

• Races: Any
• Sub-Classes: Mage or Specialist
• Ability Requirements: None
• Alignments: Lawful
• Starting Cash: By class

Weapon Proficiencies

• Weapon Slots: By class
• Bonus Weapon Proficiencies: none
• Required Weapon Proficiencies: none
• Allowed Weapons: By class
• Allowed Armors: By class

Non-Weapon Proficiencies:

• Non-weapon Slots: By class
• Available Categories: By class
• Bonus Non-weapon Proficiencies: Astronomy, Navigation, Soothsaying
• Required Proficiencies: Gem Cutting
• Recommended Proficiencies: Artistic Ability (astrological charts), Calligraphy, Cartography, Gem Cutting, Glassblowing, Fortune Telling, Metalworking, Numeracy, Planetology, Research, Seamstress/Tailor, Spellcraft, Survival, Time Sense.
• Forbidden Proficiencies: City Familiarity, Crowd Working, Diplomacy, Etiquette, Fast Talking, Haggling, Mediation, and Persuasion.

Overview: Astrologers study the constellations of the Realms and use the stellar formations to amplify their particular powers. They understand the hidden significance of the stars and their movement through the heavens and can sometimes read the future in the appearance of celestial bodies. Astrologers also use the constellations as an aid for casting spells. By focusing on a particular group of stars and studying a spell, the astrologer “hangs” that spell upon the constellation. Later, the spell can be used quickly, as long as the constellation from which it was “hung” is visible. A magical apparatus known as an orrery is also used by the astrologers to work powerful magic.

Description: Astrologers favor long robes of black or dark blue, often decorated with complex embroidery depicting the various planets and constellations—many such robes are highly accurate in their design, doubling as astrological charts. Astrologers require significant amounts of expensive and not-quite-portable equipment for their work—orerries, telescopes, astrolabes, etc.—and as such are seldom encountered far from their towers and observatories.

Role-Playing: The astrologer is something of a “mad scientist” personality, someone regarded with respect and more than a little fear by those who do not understand him or her. The large amount of equipment necessary for the astrologer to study magic adds to this air of mystery, as most of the machinery is indecipherable even to other wizards.

Astrologers are usually from the wealthier families of the Realms because of the large investment of funds required to begin the study of astrology. The home of an astrologer is never within a city. The astrologer will build a tower far outside the city, where any light from torches or fires will not interfere with his view of the stars. This reluctance to “set up shop” in the cities has earned the astrologers a bad name among several rulers, who would like to have an astrologer at court.

Special Abilities:

• All Astrologers begin their career with the first portion of their orerry already built.
• Astrologers are more proficient at Astrology than other characters. The astrologer will never gain “wildly inaccurate” information if he rolls a 20 on the proficiency check. At worst, the information gained will be hazy and indistinct, making it impossible for the astrologer to make an accurate prediction. Also, the astrologer gains a +1 to his Astrology proficiency checks for every three full levels of the character. This is in addition to any bonuses gained for dedicating more slots to this non-weapon proficiency.
• Astrologers have the ability to “hang” spells on the constellations. To do this, an astrologer must study a constellation at the same time that he is studying the spell to be hung. This increases the time needed to prepare a spell by 50 percent, but makes it much easier to cast this spell later. Once hung, the spell can be called forth at a moment’s notice. As long as the astrologer can see the constellation upon which the spell is hung, he can trigger that spell. No other significant actions are required. An astrologer gains a -2 bonus to initiative rolls when using a hung spell, and the spell has an effective casting time of 0.
  It is important to remember that hung spells can only be triggered if the astrologer can actually see the constellation upon which the spell is hung. Each of constellation is visible during a different portion of the year, depending on where in the Realms the astrologer is, though there is overlap. Below is a list of the months of the Faerunian calendar and the constellations that are completely visible during each month (the DM is free to change these if the party travels extensively). Note that most of the constellations are partially visible throughout the year; however, in order to be used to hang spells, the entire constellation must be seen by the astrologer. Mystra’s Star Circle, which marks true north in Faerun, is visible year-round.
  No more than one spell may be hung on a constellation at a time. This limitation occurs because of the nature of spell hanging. It is a memorization device which is centered around the power of individual constellations. The knowledge of the spell is centered on the appearance of the constellation, burned into the mind of the caster. If more than one spell were affixed to a given constellation, it would be impossible to determine which of the spells would be cast when the constellation was viewed. This doesn’t mean that a constellation need have the same spell hung on it each and every time. A different spell can be hung on a constellation each time the astrologer elects to use the constellation again, but the astrologer can never have more than one spell hanging on a given constellation. Spells remain hung until the astrologer either uses the spell or releases it. An astrologer cannot prepare a duplicate of a spell that is hung, as it would interfere with the memorization process. Thus, if an astrologer hangs a fireball spell on a constellation, he would be unable to memorize and cast another fireball until the first spell was cast.
  Another item of interest is the fact that hung spells do not affect the total number of spells that an astrologer may memorize. Spells that are hung are independent of the astrologer’’s capacity for memorization, allowing an astrologer have a wider variety of spells ready for use than would otherwise be possible. Obviously, hung spells are not accessible at all underground, during the daylight hours, or when the sky is overcast.

Month	Visible Constellations
Hammer	Mystra’s Star Circle, The Horn, Tassabryl, The Gorgon, The Wizard’s March, The Triton
Alturiak	Mystra’s Star Circle, Belnimbra’s Belt, The Gorgon, The Anvil, The Wizard’s March, The Triton
Ches	Mystra’s Star Circle, Belnimbra’s Belt, The Anvil, The Chalice, The Wizard’s March, Color Spray Nebula
Tarsakh	Mystra’s Star Circle, Belnimbra’s Belt, The Anvil, The Chalice, Angharradh, Color Spray Nebula
Mirtul	Mystra’s Star Circle, The Archer, The Swordsman, The Chalice, Angharradh, Color Spray Nebula
Kythorn	Mystra’s Star Circle, The Archer, The Swordsman, Uruath, Angharradh, The Lion
Flamerule	Mystra’s Star Circle, The Archer, The Swordsman, Uruath, Cassima, The Lion
Eleasias	Mystra’s Star Circle, Correlian, The Jester, Uruath, Cassima, The Lion
Eleint	Mystra’s Star Circle, Correlian, The Jester, The Caltrop, Cassima, Galleon Nebula
Marpenoth	Mystra’s Star Circle, Correlian, The Jester, The Caltrop, The Double Daggers, Galleon Nebula
Uktar	Mystra’s Star Circle, The Horn, The Caltrop, Tassabryl, The Double Daggers, Galleon Nebula
Nightal	Mystra’s Star Circle, The Horn, Tassabryl, The Gorgon, The Double Daggers, The Triton

Special Disadvantages:

• While hanging spells is a big advantage for astrologers, it is also one of their hindrances. The methods of memorization and spell recording that an astrologer uses are completely incompatible with any other wizard’s methods. This means that astrologers may only use scrolls written by other astrologers. Astrological scrolls are actually charts that show the spell in terms of “constellationary relationships.” These charts are extraordinarily complex and require a great amount of effort for non-astrologers to decipher. No other wizard can cast a spell directly from an astrologer scroll, though they may copy the spell from the scroll into their spell books. This process takes an inordinate amount of time; non-astrologer characters (or Astrologers who lack a working orerry) who copy a spell from an astrologer’s scroll will require three times as long as normal to do so.
• Astrologers have overcome the difficulty of inscribing such complicated spells through the use of their orreries. These devices are used to show the relationships of the various constellations to Al-Toril. An orrery is a silver ball surrounded by 21 rings, each of which supports a different constellation. These rings are linked together to represent the order and movement patterns of each constellation. A small lens inset into the central sphere emits a cone of faded blue light that shines up through the rings that surround the central sphere. When properly calibrated, an orrery can show an astrologer which constellations he will be able to see on any given night. The astrologer need only move the outer rings a bit in order to set the orrery to the requested date. At that point, the cone of light shines on the constellations that will be visible on a given night. All of this information is very useful for the astrologer and helps him to decide which spells to hang on which constellations. Orreries are essential in the designing of scrolls as well. An astrologer without an orrery will be unable to scribe a spell onto a scroll, regardless of his skill or level.
• Orreries are never complete when an astrologer first gains them. Instead, they have only 7 constellations on them (one of which will be Mystra’s Star Circle, the others are the player’s choice), allowing the astrologer to hang spells only on those constellations. After that, the astrologer must gain the knowledge to carve a gem into the other constellations. For every level the astrologer gains, he may attempt to craft another constellation for his orrery. This requires a successful check against Gem Cutting, and the gem used (while it may be of any sort) must be worth at least 500 gp. The astrologer may then use his orrery to hang spells on that constellation.
• An orerry is a large, complicated affair, weighing at least 50 pounds, and are made of many small intricate parts and fragile materials. Thus, most astrologers will leave their orerry in a well-guarded location, rather than lugging it with them on their adventures. An astrologer without access to his orerry may still prepare spells in the normal fashion from his spellbooks, but may not hang new spells on constellations.

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