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KITS
Sorcerers: these are mages who are single minded in their pursuit of power, which is their ultimate goal. They don’t care at what price this power comes. They create many spells, often times which only they would cast. This being so because their spells, although quite powerful, often exact a heavy cost. Such spells may require sacrifice, aging, a part of the casters soul or health, etc. Although it is because of these spells that the sorcerers have earned their reputation, they have, nonetheless, actually created many spells mages use and love today. In any given spell level, there are both weak and strong spells. Sorcerers were the ones who created many of the stronger, more highly efficient and therefore more powerful spells now available to all mages. Fireball, sleep, anti-magic shell and polymorph spells are all good examples of sorcerer research. They spend most of their lives involved in spell research, this devotion to creating the most efficient spells has yielded good results, now shared by all. These sorcerers also create spells of power which have a heavy price attached to their use. The most common examples are haste, limited wish, permanency, gate and wish, all of which either age the caster or drain away his health(CON). Although these spells have found their way into main stream magic, they were once thought too costly for use by non-sorcerers. It is evident that over time, mages began to make use of these spells, and it is this trend that strikes fear into those more conservative magi who would see magic grow in a more controlled direction. There are many spells currently not in main stream use which the sorcerers have created. These spells have very heavy costs attached to them, and are shunned by most magi, at least for now. These spells are only used by sorcerers, but there are those who believe that mages, in the future, will begin using these spells, as their predecessors did in the past. For now, these spells are considered dangerous and only a sorcerer would ever dare to use them as he is willing to pay the price.
Channeling: Sorcerers can also cannibalize themselves for spell points. This practice, considered barbaric by most mages today, is finding use among the younger generations of magic users. Sorcerers can get 1 spell point per CON point spent, this is called channeling. These spell points must be used in the same round they are channeled, or they will be lost. These channeled points can be used alone or combined with more of the user’s own spell points. This channeling does increase the casting time of the spell which uses its power, the spell's casting time is increased 1 segment per point channeled. Thus, a spell with CT 1 round becomes CT 1 round and 5 segments if the sorcerer channeled 5 points and used them in casting the spell. If their CON drops to 0 or less, the sorcerer dies. These CON point losses are regained at a rate of 1 per day, if the sorcerer got at least 8 hours sleep that day. This cannibalism is not without its risks and penalties. Every time the CON is reduced like this, the sorcerer must make a system shock roll(using the modified CON), failure means his body goes into shock(treat as if stunned) for 3d10 rounds.
Fatigue: In addition, such channeling of magic through the body brings great fatigue to the user. Normal spell power is taken from without and never channels through the mage, thus spells are not physically fatiguing, though mentally so(loss of spell points). In fact, the act of casting is quite exhilarating to a spell user. But this channeling does brings fatigue to the spell user, in fact it is quite painful. Every spell point so channeled costs 3 fatigue points, double that if the sorcerer fails his system shock roll. (If the user looses a lot of CON points in a short period of time or in a single casting, the DM should feel free to impose extra penalties of some kind on the user. For example, if a mage looses ½ his CON or more in a single casting, he must make a death save or pass out for 1 hour per CON point lost, the caster should also make a system shock roll, failure indicates he is comatose instead of just unconscious and remains that way until a heal spell or similar magic is used on him.)
Channelers: sorcerers who actively use channeling find it gives more control to the caster, being channeled through him. They have created many spells that require channeling. Although these spells obviously are more costly to use, draining the caster's health and fatigue, they allow a spell to be more powerful than those in its same power level. These sorcerers are called Channelers.
Warlock/Summoner: these mages focus on summoning outworld beings to the Prime. They are able to summon more powerful beings than normal magic allows. This is because of their devotion to extraplanar research, allowing them to amass many tomes on these beings "true names", and there ability to form a special link with the summoned being, a link known as the Bond. A warlock bonds with an outworld creature so he can more easily summon it, and control it when it arrives. The bond is a pact made with the being. To establish it requires knowing the beings true name and then, upon its first summoning, to engage in a ritual combat with the being. If the warlock wins, the being bonds to him, if the warlock loses, however, he is either killed, enslaved or possessed. This bond becomes stronger the more often the being is summoned. It can become so strong that the being begins to influence and even exert control over the warlock, if it is stronger than the warlock. This is why more powerful beings allow the bonding, in hopes the warlock will over summon it and give it control over him, and with it, free access to the Prime. When the bond becomes strong, both warlock and bonded creature can begin to feel the emotions/pain and moral values of the other, with the stronger ego often swaying the weaker towards its side. If the bond becomes too strong, the death of either can cause the other to perish as well. The bond of a familiar to a mage is a lesser type of the bond a warlock makes to these outworlders. Many fear that these warlocks are being seduced by the outworld, and are opening up the Prime Material Plane for invasion.
Witch: these females have made a pact with outworld powers, giving up some control over their lives in exchange for power. Only females can be witches, exactly why is unclear. The witch usually does not give her whole soul in the pact, but she still pays dearly for her power. What ever power a witch sends out, is taken back from her in some way with interest attached! Thus, witches try to gain knowledge instead of using raw power. This allows them to continually benefit from what they gained since they will be forced to re-pay the outworld a bit more than they took. This is why witches are expert at brewing potions and poisons, having learned from the outworld their secrets. Always a witch has a familiar, it is not like a normal mage’s familiar. Hers is used by the outworld power to manifest the power the witch asks for, and keep an eye on her as well.
Nightlords: these are mages or priests who, like the witch, make a pact with outworld powers. Unlike the witch, however, their pact is 100%! These individuals allow the outworld power to bond to them, thus they need no familiars, as the power is channeled directly through them. Although, they gain much power, they are slowly transformed, over many years, into an outworld creature. They slowly change both physically and mentally into this creature, until they finally become the creature under the power’s full control. These mages/priests are almost always necromancers.
Mystics: these are the name I give psionicists in my world. They live apart from the world and seek inner enlightenment. Many go to them to get questions of life answered. These petitioners are asked to do a favor in return for this knowledge, thus the mystics rarely need bother with the needful things of the world, as these petitioners will usually provide them.
Seers: these are individuals born with second sight, the ability to see the future and into the spirit world. They can prophesy and bring up the dead to speak through them. They cannot always control when and what they see, but can control some aspects of their power. Many who are weak of spirit or mind can be driven insane by this gift.
RACIAL SPECIALISTS
Dwarven Runecasters: these are similar to geometers, but study the power that runes and power words hold. They are rare and a dying breed. Because runes and power words are each unique and totally unrelated to each other, each must be researched individually. The knowledge of 1 rune or power word does not help at all toward finding another. This makes the art very slow to expand, coupled with the fact that only a rare few seem gifted enough to pursue it, which means a runecaster may not find a student to whom he may pass along his knowledge, thus this knowledge is often lost. Runes are lasting enchantments placed on objects or people. Their power eventually fades over time and must be re-cast. Runes tap into magic at its source, the very power gods wield. Perhaps this is what makes rune casting so difficult. Because runes tap into this primordial power, they are less effected by other magic. Thus, dispels, anti-magic and counterspells have limited/reduced effect on rune powers, depending on how well they were cast. Runes take much longer to cast than other spells, measured in hours, days and even years.
Power words, on the other hand, because of their instantaneous nature, do not have the resistance to magic that runes do, but are cast almost instantly. The runecaster uses these words when he needs an immediate effect. They are so powerful, being linked to the primordial magics, that they allow no saving throw.
Elven High Magi: the elves are inherently enchanted creatures, and those few who are strong enough in spirit, can utilize their inherent power, called Laereth or Glaymar to the high elves. These high magi are rare and said only to exist on Evermeet, the homeland of the elves. They are said to only be as powerful as the elven race, thus, with the factioning of the various elven strains and their slow decline in many worlds, the high magi are seeing their last centuries. Their power is earth based(plant, animal and elemental). It is also indirect, achieving its effect subtly.
Gnome Illusionist: these gnomes are the most adept illusionists that can be! Even the most powerful human illusionist sighs in awe when he sees the simple ease even a low skilled gnome illusionist has with his art. It is said these illusionists have an unearthly grasp on life. They can see the reality and the best path through even the most obscure circumstances. Gnome rulers will always have an illusionist as his advisor, and these gnomes have prevented wars and guided the gnomes in the best direction for eons. In fact, given where the gnomes live(the hostile underground/underdark) and how small/weak they are relative to the other races that struggle for the same areas they do, it is no doubt these illusionists that have helped the race not only survive, but thrive!
Halfling Defiants: these folk are not really spell users. They are able to deflect, absorb and re-direct magic cast at or near them. They can reflect a spell back on the caster, or absorb the magic for personal use, allowing them to re-direct it in a different form with almost any effect. Their main weakness is their lack of creative power, they can only produce effects if they absorb another’s magic. There are rumors of psionic defiants, but this is unconfirmed.