"I enjoy the raw power of the elements, and nothing is more powerful than lightning, the purest energy of nature condensed into a single stroke of destructive might!"
——Halafast the Piercer, a Storm Mage
Storm Mages, much like other elemental wizards, prefer lightning as their energy of choice when dispatching foes. Storm Mages tend to originate from areas rife with tumultuous weather and have a learned affinity for the chaos of the storm. While most people unused to such acts of nature will shy away from them, the Storm Mage recognizes a good hurricane or thunderstorm as a chance to expand his power, and learns to replicate the power of skies to devastating effect..
The Storm Mage is a three-stage Talent.
Storm Mage I
Years of practice with the deadly element have made the Storm Mages resilient against the energy they manipulate. Not only that, they learn how to channel such power more quickly, just as they master a devastating ability, launching simultaneous blasts of lightning in a coordinated spell known as Ball Lightning.
Prerequisites
Features
♦ Swiftness of Lightning
When casting a power with the Lightning keyword, you may decrease the casting time by 1 (to a minimum of 1). If you do so, increase the Recovery by 1.
♦ Ball Lightning
Gain Ball Lightning as a Mastered Eldritch Spell.
Ball Lightning
Cast Action [CT 6, REC 5]
Potency: [1d10 + Eldritch Rank]
Cost: 5 Resolve
Effect: Large balls of electricity appear in multiple locations around you, each shocking nearby creatures. Make an attack:
Range: 200 ft.
Area: Four balls, each 10 ft. in diameter.
Target: Everything in the ball.
Attack: Arcana
P vs. Reflex
Miss: Half damage.
Special: Overlapping balls do not have cumulative effects.
Master Augment, Greater Shock
[Eldritch Rank 6, Stacking]
Stacking [Rank 6, 7, 8, etc]: This augment may be applied multiple times and is only limited by your Eldritch Rank.
Effect: Increase the damage by 2d8.
Master Augment, Many Balls
[Storm Mage II, Eldritch Rank 6, Stacking]
Stacking [Rank 6, 7, 8, etc.]: This augment may be applied multiple times and is only limited by your Eldritch Rank.
Effect: You may create 1 additional ball within range.
Master Augment, Enduring Shock
[Storm Mage III, Eldritch Rank 7]
Cost: 4 Resolve Burn
Effect: The brands persist for 5 segments. At the end of that time, the balls detonate, increasing in size to 20 ft in diameter. Make a secondary attack:
Target: Everything in the ball (20 ft. diameter)
Attack: Arcana vs. Reflex
Miss: Half damage.
Storm Mage II
The Storm Mage begins to master their manipulation of Lightning, reducing how much effort it takes to project their powers. Still more impressive is their ability to pierce through foes who were previously resistant to their magics, refining the energy into a deadly tool.
Prerequisites
Features
♦ Piercing Lightning
When casting a spell with Lightning keyword against a creature with Lightning Reduction, you overcome 10 points of Reduction. This feature has no effect on creatures Immune to Lightning.
♦ Increase the Shock
When casting a spell with the Lightning keyword, decrease the cost by 1 energy (to a minimum of zero). This does not affect Energy Burn.
Storm Mage III
Having finally pulled down the secrets of the storm through their relentless dedication, the Storm Mage becomes almost impervious to lightning damage. They also learn how to refocus their spells as they target their enemies, ensuring that their spells will pack the most power possible with every attack.
Prerequisites
Features
♦ Superior Lightning Resistance
In addition to Damage Reduction 10, you gain
Resistance to Lightning damage.
♦ Shocking Gambit
When rolling damage on a spell with the Lightning keyword, you may re-roll any dice that show a 1. You must use the second result (even if it is a 1).