#prestige class | dailycharacteroption (2025)

(art by Lesly-oh on DeviantArt)

There are plenty of prestige classes that represent powerful mages that specialize in certain aspects of magic. Heck, the archmage and red wizard prestige classes from 3.5 were perfect examples of this, but the fun thing about Pathfinder is how they tie these specializations into the lore.

In today’s case, we have the Arclord of Nex prestige class, but since this is the first time we’ve really talked about the nation of Nex on the blog, some background is needed.

So several centuries ago, the wizard Nex, whom has a classic rags to riches story starting in the streets and becoming one of the most powerful mages of his generation and possibly the history of Golarion, founded a nation that shared his name.

However, his next door neighbor was a fellow powerful mage, the necromancer Geb, who got the same idea, founding a magical nation that he named after himself. For a while, the two were contemporaries, friends, even. But you can’t have two egos that big in the room without them trying to one-up each other constantly, and an unhealthy rivalry like that can only escalate to blows, except the fists were armies and landscape-devastating spells, leaving a massive tract of land between the two nations (and frankly, most of the nation of Nex) devastated, Geb was dead but risen as a ghost, and Nex the wizard was… gone. Apparently vanished into his private demiplane.

Finally, the arclords of Nex, the focus on this entry, really come into the picture. Originally the retinue and servants of Nex himself, these mages rose to power after he vanished, and promptly fucked things up royally, many getting exiled for their deeds, while the rest actually learned what it takes to rule a nation, and spend their times pouring over the journals and works of their missing master hoping to glean secrets from them.

Whether they reside in Nex or are one of those exiles, the modern arclords seek to spread their influence and improve the world with magic, not just to improve the quality of life of others by making magic accessible, but also to set their nation up as the primary source of magic in the world.

However, these mages are not just seeking political power, they also master many cultural magics of their nation, including some invented by Nex himself. If you are looking for a crafter of magical wonders and one that seeks greater understanding of wizardry, you can do a lot worse than this path.

In order to become an arclord, these mages must master the art of crafting magical objects and constructs, as well as creating the “third eye” sensor that arclords are known for. Additionally, they must be able to cast arcane sight and have a basic mastery of all schools of magic, including those that would be forbidden schools for them. Finally, they must have access to the arcane school magic, either being a universalist, or being a school specialist.

In other words, this prestige class is pretty much exclusive to the wizard and arcanist classes, and the latter only if they take the school savant archetype. Even with those limitations, there is plenty of room for variety.

Having had one of the best possible educations in wizardry, these noble mages can learn spells and build magic items with surprising ease.

Additionally, these mages learn to use their third eye more often, and can not just use it for divination enhancement and enhanced senses, but also to ground themselves and enhance the power of nearby casters as well.

By expending a bit of power reserved for their least school power, these mages can repair objects and constructs with a touch, or deal damage to the same.

They also learn a second school specialization, though they must expend the same power as their original lesser school ability at a lossy rate to use that second power.

They also learn to build constructs in half the time, and improve the duration or amount of their spells that create semi-permanent matter.

As they delve deeper into the secrets of Nex’s notes, these mages learn to funnel power from their least school power into their third eye, piercing invisibility, seeing and comprehending magical auras, or both.

They also learn some of Nex’s secrets involving other planes, doubling the duration of spells that create extradimensional spaces or demiplanes, or those that involve crossing the border to the Ethereal Plane.

Nex was also known for having many magical servants. As such, powerful arclords learn to call forth their servants, be they familiars, companions, eidolons, bound outsiders, constructs they created, or even those they have bound with enchantments. They do this by sacrificing energy meant for their spells, though the higher the spell slot they use, the further from them they can call forth their servants to aid them, up to from anywhere in the cosmos if a 9th level slot is used.

The most powerful of them fully learn how to empower their third eye, pouring even more magic into the magical construct to briefly gain truly powerful arcane sight, pierce all illusions and shapeshifting, or both.

With it’s focus on the third eye ability, this prestige class certainly has a heavy divination and information gathering focus, but it also has elements of conjuration empowerment, better crafting for constructs and items (a rarity), and so on. A nice thematic grab-bag of tricks and treats that anyone can get behind. Is this archetype always for everybody? No. But it certainly can be tempting for a wizard that wants to do a little bit of everything. The fact you can choose to still be specialized and get two schools is also nice.

This archetype is a perfect example of how mages may look like in a magical utopia when able to focus on great works and enlightenment… Only, Nex isn’t a utopia at all. It’s a flesh monster riddled wasteland with it’s major cities, which are utterly devoted to researching arcane works with dubious effects on the environment, as the only oases of wholesome life to be found, bottled up and cultivated like a bonsai tree. If you don’t know magic, you might as well not exist in their society. Will your would-be arclord succumb to the same sort of arrogance and hubris, regardless of setting?

The arcane sanctum of the wizard Elginon is an extradimensional fortress, but contrary to popular belief, he did not build it. Instead, this demiplane was created by the xiomorns, the insectile elemental vault builders. Though the wizard moved in, the site was never truly abandoned, and now, a decade after his death, the xiomorns have arrived to reclaim it… at the same time the party gained access to search for a forgotten secret.

The deep ones are not usually known for their wizardry, being devotees of the various elder gods. However, the hybrid known as Brannic Deepcastle is an exception, seeking to understand where he has come from through the science of the arcane. His desire for knowledge leads him to the realms of the Mad God of Magic, which may prove too much even for an elder mythos being like himself.

In the cosmos of Alvati, the planes are arranged as great cosmic spheres that rotate in a slow, eternal dance. One such sphere is the nation of Acumen, an artificial heavenly body where wizards rule and delve into arcane mysteries in peace. However, some tasks are beyond even them, and they occasionally open portals to planes or worlds to pillage them for their resources.