Base Requirements

• Races: Any
• Sub-Classes: Mage
• Ability Requirements: None
• Alignments: Non-Lawful
• Starting Cash: 3d6 x10gp

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, plus Larceny
• Bonus Non-weapon Proficiencies: Begging, Disguise, Trailing
• Required Proficiencies: None
• Recommended Proficiencies: Bribery, Debate, Disguise, Fast Talking, Etiquette, Feign Sleep, Gaming, Genie Lore, Haggling, Hiding, Literacy, Looting, Psionic Mimicry, Quick Study, Reading Lips, Somatic Concealment, Spellcraft, Street Sense.
• Forbidden Proficiencies: Signature Spell

Overview: There are a number of wizards who prefer to live by trickery and stealth than by the wielding of potent magical energies. These wizards are derisively known as jackals.

Description: Jackals go to great lengths to hide their true nature. Many carry the trappings of other classes, hoping that no one will question them about their “profession.” If a jackal’s true nature is discovered, they will be shunned by other wizards and chased away.

Role-Playing: Jackals are the thieves of the magical world, and their abilities represent this. While other wizards study and work hard to learn and cast new spells, the jackal prefers to steal such knowledge from unwary wizards they encounter.

The theft of spells is a crime that is very hard to prove in court. The crime remains unpunishable, and the jackal will receive no official penalty for what he has done. But wizards are not likely to let a known jackal run free in the streets for any length of time. And woe to the jackal foolish enough to steal spells from a Red Wizard of Thay, a member of the Zhentarim, or other mage with significant resources and cabals of assassins at his disposal.

Special Abilities:

• Jackals are thieves by nature. They can cast spells just like other wizards but must steal those they choose to cast. Jackals don’t steal spells from books or take the scrolls of other wizards. Instead, they have the ability to actually reach into another wizard’s mind and take those spells they want. This ability is far from foolproof. Jackals that are caught indulging in spell thievery will suffer the undying enmity of the wizard from whom they were thieving. To use this ability, the jackal must make an Reason check with a -1 penalty. If the level of the target is higher than the level of the jackal, that difference must also be subtracted from the jackal’s Reason. If the jackal is successful, he may take one spell level from his victim per each of his own levels. This is also the maximum number of spells that a jackal can steal from a single individual. The number that a jackal can keep memorized is equal to the number of spell levels that can be memorized by a standard wizard kit of the same level (these need not be the same specific level of spells as a wizard of that level, just the same total levels). If a jackal steals more spell levels than his level allows, all spells are lost. One round per spell level is required in order for the jackal to succeed in stealing the spell. During this time the wizard that is being stolen from must remain in the jackal’s line of sight.
  Jackals may follow the wizard they are stealing from, but if the jackal performs any actions which require more thought than walking (such as dodging an attack or attacking someone), the contact is broken and no spells are stolen.
  There is a chance that the wizard from whom spells are being stolen will realize what is going on. To become aware of a jackal’s thievery, a wizard must make a successful Reason check. The wizard receives a bonus to this roll equal to the number of spell levels that the jackal is attempting to steal. The “victim” wizard gets one chance to detect the theft. Once the wizard is aware of the jackal’s thieving, he may attempt to overload the jackal. This is done by channeling the magical energies contained in the wizard’s memory toward the jackal in an attempt to surpass the jackal’s limit of stolen spells. The wizard must state how many spell levels he is going to unleash and which spell(s) those levels are going to come from. A wizard may release a number of spell levels equal to his own level in one round. To overcome the jackal, the wizard must go over the jackal’s maximum in one round. Otherwise the jackal simply absorbs the spells and breaks contact when he reaches his maximum.

Special Disadvantages:

• As noted above, jackals are unable to learn spells in a standard way. They are also unable to make scrolls or other magical items as they are simply too lazy to devote the time and resources necessary to perform such a feat. They do not have spellbooks of any kind and must constantly be on the lookout for other wizards to steal spells from.
• Jackals may use scrolls and magical items, but they do so at one level below their own for determining spell failure. This is because they are not used to studying a scroll or focusing on a magic item to gain magical knowledge or to activate a spell.
• Jackals are despised among wizards everywhere. If a jackal is discovered, all reactions with other wizards are automatically one level worse (they will never be friendly). Also, wizards will point jackals out to one another and are likely to take violent action against members of this kit who are caught stealing spells.

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