Editing Defiler (Dark Sun) (section)

===Kits===
[[Dragon Magazine]] #231 ran an article called "Defilers and Preservers", which offered an array of new [[kits]] specific to the [[wizard]]s of [[Dark Sun]]. It offered six kits in total; the Grey Chasseur (Huntsman) and Protector for Preservers, the Pale and the Slayer for Defilers, and finally the Obscure and the Relic Seeker, which could be taken by both.

'''Obscures''' are [[Shadow Magic|Shadow Mages]] specialized in espionage, investigation and defense. Most work alongside the Veiled Alliance, but others have taken up the cause of protecting and aiding all manner of groups or powerful individuals. They typically tend to be cold, distant, and devoted to the concept of balance. They favor a mixture of divination spells, spells relating to stealth and concealment, and spells that manipulate light and shadow, but avoid darkness spells, since shadows are cut off by the absence of light.
::Base Class: Preserver or Preserver-turned-Defiler
::Multiclassing/Dual-Classing: Yes
::Available Races: Any Preserver capable ([[Human]], [[Elf]], [[Half-Elf]], [[Aarakocra]])
::Ability Score Requirements: Constitution 15, Wisdom 16
::Alignment Requirements: Any Neutral
::Weapon Proficiencies: As per Wizard
::Nonweapon Proficiencies: Planes Lore ''Bonus'', Path Lore ''Required'', ''Recommended'' Astrology, Bribery, Etiquette, Direction Sense, Fire-Building, Meditation, Mental Armor, Reading/Writing, Spellcraft
::Special Benefits:
:::Shadow Transmutation: At 3rd level, 20% of the obscure's body turns into living shadow. At each level, a further 5% transmutes, until 50% of the shadow wizard is pure shadow. The obscure can also cast Chill Touch 1/level each day by touching others with their shadow-flesh.
:::Shadow Form: From 7th level, an obscure can assume a Shadow Form (as per the psychometabolic science) as a granted ability. They can take Shadow Form for a total number of turns per day equal to their level.
:::Mystical Armor: From 9th level, an obscure's base AC becomes 5 against non-magical weapons.
::Special Hindrances:
:::Fickle Power Supply: An Obscure must make a Power Gathering Check, like a Defiler. Due to the extraplanar nature of their power source, they roll a D10 to determine the "terrain type" portion of that table; 1 = barren, 2-4 = infertile, 5-7 = fertile, 8-9 = abundant, 10 = lush. Basking in shadow when doing so grants +1 to the roll.
:::Disturbing: An obscure suffers a -1 reaction penalty that increases to -2 at 4th level, -3 at 7th level, and -4 at 10th level. If other characters see the shadow stain gained at 3rd level, they must save vs. petrification or flee in terror.
:::Shadow Fueled: If the obscure has no access to shadows, such as due to being enveloped in total darkness, they must make a Constitution check at -2 or suffer 1d4 damage. They must also cast spells through the standard method of being either a preserver or defiler, depending on their base class, until they regain access to shadows.
:::Spiritual Strain: A shadow wizard must make a Constitution check whenever they gather power to fuel their spells; if they fail the check, they take 1d2 damage (if the "in play" power gathering method is used) or 1d6+1 (if the "off-stage/when memorizing" method is used). In the latter case, the shadow wizard fails to memorize their spells unless they repeat the process, which requires a second Constitution check; if this fails, then the shadow wizard cannot attempt to memorize spells for a 24 hour period. 
:::Patron's Whims: An obscure almost always has some kind of patron outside of their adventuring group, who will generally have 1 espionage-related mission every 2 months.

'''Pales''' are Athasian [[Necromancer]]s devoted to mastery of the [[undead]] and to eventually becoming [[undead]] themselves. In contrast to the standard Athasian necromancer, who yearns to extend their life as long as possible, pales care only about power. That said, whilst officially required to be evil mechanically, nothing stops them from cooperating with the living, though you'll be on the antiheroic end of the scale even by Dark Sun standards. They favor a mixture of necromantic and offensive spells.
::Base Class: Defiler
::Multiclassing/Dual-Classing: No
::Available Races: [[Human]], [[Half-Elf]]
::Ability Requirements: Constitution 14, Wisdom 16
::Weapon Proficiencies: All Wizard, plus any Bone weapon
::Nonweapon Proficiencies: Planes Lore ''Bonus'', Ancient Languages ''Required'', ''Recommended'' Ancient History, Astrology, Bargain, Intimidation, Reading/Writing, Religion, Spellcraft
::Special Benefits:
:::Command Undead: When a pale encounters undead creatures, they can attempt to control them by passing a Command Undead check (5% per level + the Pale's Wisdom score). With unintelligent undead, the pale affects twice their level in Hit Dice and controls them for 1d6+1 rounds. With intelligent undead, their Command Undead skill is reduced by the creature's Hit Dice and the duration is only 1d4 rounds.
:::Undead Companion: From 5th level, a pale is constantly attended to by a loyal undead minion. If this minion is destroyed, the pale gains a new one at their next level up. Initially, this minion is a [[skeleton]], but it becomes a standard [[zombie]] at 7th level, a Thinking Zombie at 9th level, and a Wracked Spirit from 13th level.
:::Fear Not the Dead: A pale is immune to any fear effect caused by an undead, unless the undead's Hit Dice exceeds the pale's level by 3 or more.
::Special Hindrances:
:::Token Dependent: Obscures use obsidian shards imbued with trapped spiritual energy as a focus to connect them to the powers of the Gray. Without their obsidian shard focus, an obscure cannot draw power from the Gray and must instead use the normal Defiler rules for power generation. To create a focus requires a ritual that takes 1d4+2 days, culminating in a Wisdom check; success causes the pale to take 1d4+1 damage and succeed, failure causes the token to fail to form, and instead the wizard suffers 2d4+2 damage.
:::Fickle Power Supply: An obscure must make a Power Gathering Check, like a Defiler. Due to the extraplanar nature of their power source, they roll a D10 to determine the "terrain type" portion of that table; 1 = barren, 2-4 = infertile, 5-7 = fertile, 8-9 = abundant, 10 = lush.
:::Spiritual Strain: An obscure must make a Constitution check whenever they gather power to fuel their spells; if they fail the check, they take 1d2 damage (if the "in play" power gathering method is used) or 1d6+1 (if the "off-stage/when memorizing" method is used). In the latter case, the necromancer fails to memorize their spells unless they repeat the process, which requires a second Constitution check; if this fails, then the necromancer cannot attempt to memorize spells for a 24 hour period.
:::Terrifying Mien: When a pale meets an NPC, the pale must succeed on a Save vs. Death Magic or else the NPC will flee in terror.

'''Relic Seekers''' are the arcane scholars of Athas, adventurers in the classic sense; they'll go anywhere, brave any danger, to recover a relic, learn a new bit of information, or discover an ancient secret. They look for anything and everything that might grant them insight into the mysteries of the past. They typically favor a lot of divination and abjuration spells.
::Base Class: Preserve or Defiler
::Multiclassing/Dual-Classing: Multiclassed Wizard/Thief
::Available Races: Any that can become Wizard
::Ability Score Requirements: Intelligence 12 Wisdom 11
::Alignment Requirement: Any Lawful
::Weapon Proficiencies: As Wizard
::Nonweapon Proficiencies: Ancient History, Ancient Languages ''Bonus'', Reading/Writing ''Required'', ''Recommended'' Appraising, Bribery, Etiquette, Direction Sense, Rope Use, Somatic Concealment, Teaching
::Special Benefits:
:::Foundational Trinket: A relic seeker starts play with a single minor magical items.
:::Hoardbuilder: A relic seeker gains +5% experience for each magical item or ancient relic they collect.
:::Identification: A relic seeker can attempt to identify if an item is either genuine or magical in nature with a 5% chance of success per level.
:::Thief Skills: Starting at 3rd level, a relic seeker gains access to the [[Thief]] skills Open Locks, Find Traps, Climb Walls and Read Languages. They start with 0% in all of these, except for Read Languages (10%); 3rd level gives them 15 points to divvy up, and they gain thief skill points per level.
::Special Hindrances:
:::Curiosity Killed the Mekilot: Whenever a relic seeker picks up a rumor concerning a worthy item for their collection, they must succeed on a Wisdom check to avoid rushing off to find it at the first opportunity.
:::Unearthly: A relic seeker suffers a -2 penalty to Initiative in the first round of combat, and is always surprised by combat unless in a ruin or while on a relic hunt.
:::Forbidden Skillset: Remember; literacy is illegal in many places of the Tablelands, and the relic seeker often carries ancient relics of writing. They had best be careful not to give themselves away when in Urik or Nibenay.

'''Slayers''' are defilers who take the obvious use of their powers and become arcane [[assassin]]s. Typically favoring the more subtle magics of necromancy, illusion and summoning magic - for obvious reasons, in a world that hates and fears magic, showy displays of killing magic demand higher price tags for self preservation - slayers are hated but valuable, much like the Athasian [[bard]]s.
::Base Class: Defiler
::Multiclassing: Yes
::Available Races: [[Human]], [[Elf]], [[Half-Elf]]
::Alignment Restrictions: Any Non-Good
::Weapon Proficiencies: As per Wizard
::Nonweapon Proficiencies: Somantic Concealment ''Bonus'', Spellcraft ''Required'', ''Recommended'' Bribery, Etiquette, Herbalism, Intimidation, Mental Armor, Reading/Writing, Spellweaving
::Special Benefits: A slayer invariably has a powerful patron, typically a noble or a merchant lord, which grants them access to help, a ready supply of resources, and a useful contact.
::Special Hindrances: Firstly, a slayer's patron will typically expect the slayer to perform 3-4 assassinations each year, and won't look kindly to being ignored or refused. Secondly, slayers are ''the'' most hated wizards on Athas, so a slayer has to go extra-far to cover up what they do, even beyond the standards of hiding their status as a wizard.

[[Category: Dark Sun]]