Arcanist

Arcanists are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any type of armor or shield. Armor interferes with an arcanist's gestures, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail (see Arcane Spells and Armor).

An arcanist casts arcane spells drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. An arcanist must prepare her spells ahead of time, but unlike a wizard, her spells are not expended when they're cast. Instead, she can cast any spell that she has prepared by consuming a spell slot of the appropriate level, assuming she hasn't yet used up her spell slots per day for that level.

To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the arcanist must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell's level. The saving throw DC against an arcanist's spell is 10 + the spell's level + the arcanist's Intelligence modifier.

An arcanist can only cast a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Arcanist under "Spells per Day." In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Intelligence score.

An arcanist may know any number of spells, but the number she can prepare each day is limited and is not affected by her Intelligence score. At 1st level she can prepare four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells each day; this increases as she gains levels per Table: Arcanist Spells Prepared (1st: 4/2; 4th: 6/3/1; 8th: 8/5/3/2/1; 12th: 9/5/5/4/3/2/1; 16th: 9/5/5/4/4/4/3/2/1; 20th: 9/5/5/4/4/4/3/3/3/3). Feats and effects that modify spells known instead affect the number of spells an arcanist can prepare.

An arcanist must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour studying her spellbook.

Like a sorcerer, an arcanist can apply any metamagic feats she knows to a prepared spell as she casts it, with the same increase in casting time. She may also prepare a spell with metamagic feats and cast it without increasing the casting time, like a wizard. She cannot combine these options.

An arcanist must study her spellbook each day to prepare her spells. She can't prepare any spell not recorded in her spellbook, except for read magic (which all arcanists can prepare from memory).

An arcanist begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level wizard/sorcerer spells plus three 1st-level spells of her choice, and additional 1st-level spells equal to her Intelligence modifier. At each new arcanist level, she gains two new spells of any spell level or levels that she can cast for her spellbook. She can also add spells found in other spellbooks to her own.

Arcanists can prepare a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, each day as noted on Table: Arcanist Spells Prepared. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they do not consume spell slots and are not expended when cast.

An arcanist has an innate pool of magical energy that she can draw upon to fuel her arcanist exploits and enhance her spells. The arcane reservoir can hold a maximum amount of magical energy equal to 3 + the arcanist's level. Each day, when preparing spells, the arcane reservoir fills with a number of points equal to 3 + 1/2 her arcanist level (any points from the previous day are lost). She can also regain points through consume spells and some arcanist exploits. The reservoir can never hold more than its maximum; excess points are lost.

Points from the arcane reservoir fuel many of the arcanist's powers. In addition, the arcanist can expend 1 point as a free action whenever she casts an arcanist spell to increase that spell's caster level by 1 or its DC by 1 (no more than 1 point per spell).

Resolver note: the modeled number is the daily fill (3 + 1/2 level); the maximum capacity (3 + level) and the per-spell +1 CL / +1 DC spend are tracked in play.

By bending and sometimes breaking the rules of magic, the arcanist learns to exploit gaps and exceptions in the laws of magic. At 1st level and every 2 levels thereafter, the arcanist learns a new arcanist exploit selected from the arcanist exploit list. An arcanist exploit cannot be selected more than once, and once selected it cannot be changed. Most exploits require the arcanist to expend points from her arcane reservoir. Unless otherwise noted, the saving throw DC for an arcanist exploit is equal to 10 + 1/2 the arcanist's level + the arcanist's Charisma modifier.

At 11th level and every 2 levels thereafter, the arcanist can choose a greater exploit in place of an arcanist exploit (see Greater Exploits).

At 1st level, an arcanist can expend an available arcanist spell slot as a move action, making it unavailable for the rest of the day, just as if she had used it to cast a spell. She can use this ability a number of times per day equal to her Charisma modifier (minimum 1). Doing this adds a number of points to her arcane reservoir equal to the level of the spell slot consumed. She cannot consume cantrips this way. Points gained in excess of the reservoir's maximum are lost.

At 11th level and every 2 levels thereafter, an arcanist can choose one greater exploit in place of an arcanist exploit. Greater exploits are drawn from the greater exploit list and otherwise follow all the rules for arcanist exploits.

At 20th level, the arcanist learns to convert her arcane reservoir into spells and back again. She can cast any spell she has prepared by expending a number of points from her arcane reservoir equal to 1 + the level of the spell instead of expending a spell slot. When she casts a spell this way, she treats her caster level as 2 higher and the DCs of associated saving throws increase by 2. She cannot further expend reservoir points to enhance a spell cast this way.