Rhabdomancer (Character Kit)

==The Rhabdomancer==
: From Dragon Magazine 229 Page 45
Description: A rhabdomancer (or “rhabdomere”) is a wizard learned in the use of a dowsing rod, a seemingly ordinary wooden stick with which he can hone divinatory magic. Most rhabdomancers come from rural backgrounds, as urban wizards scoff at the practice. In such areas, guilds of rhabdomancers exist, but they are small and represent the trade as prospectors, the members eager to be hired to find valuable sources of water and precious metals and minerals. Some of thesemagicians eventually seek out new applications for their craft, exploring underground for their own ends. They might even adopt the role of guides to the caverns. Such a mage can be of any alignment.
Though most rhabdomancers are human, certainly there is room for other races to learn the trade. Because of the tie with mining and underground exploration, a DM may well consider that some exceptional dwarves or Stoutish halflings would adopt a career as rhabdomancers. Whether such mages can be chosen as player characters must be decided.
Role: Most rural communities will welcome a rhabdomancer for his abilities, which seem wondrous to common folk. Using his divination powers, he can solve the mystery of stolen jewels, find a child lost in the woods, or discover a new site for a thirsty village’s new well. Even in the Underdark, the native races know something of a rhabdomancer’s ability to find new caves and lost treasure.
Weapon proficiencies: Required: None. Recommended: dagger, dart, small pick (much like a smaller version of the mining tool, it inflicts 2-5/1-4 hp damage).
Nonweapon proficiencies:
* Required: dowsing (new), prospecting (new). 
* Recommended: direction sense, endurance, engineering, mining, reading/writing, stonemasonry.
Spells: As specialists in the school of Greater Divination, rhabdomancers cannot use spells from the school of Conjuration/ Summoning. However, the guilds offer to teach several unique spells to rhabdomancers, including spells that deal with tapping magical energies through the dowsing rod.
Special benefits: 
# All rhabdomancers begin the game with an additional language, which must belong to a mining race (dwarven is the most common, though some learn deep gnome, and those of an evil bent may even study kobold).
# A rhabdomancer substitutes his divining rod for the material component in divination spells (except the revised locate object found below). Also, when using the divining rod, the mage may receive an increase in effectiveness in certain divination spells (see below). Starting at first level, a rhabdomancer receives a +1 bonus on all saves vs. rods, staves, or wands. This benefit increases by an additional +1 for every five levels of ability gained.
Special hindrances: As these mages practice the art of Divination only through the use of rhabdomancy, any attempt by them to cast a Divination spell without a divining rod results in a penalty of double the normal casting time and a10% unmodified chance of failure. Also, a rhabdomancer can never cast a reversed Divinatory spell that would obscure or hinder detection, as such practices are beyond his understanding. Related to this, spells of illusion are rarely practiced, so the chance to learn any such spell is halved.
 Rhabdomancer Nonweapon Proficiencies
Name 	Group Required	Slots	RelevantAbility	CheckModifier
Dowsing 	Wizard 	2 	Wisdom 	-1
Prospecting	General 	1 	Dexterity 	-1
Two unique nonweapon proficiencies are listed as part of the rhabdomancer's training. While anyone can learn the trade of prospector, only the guilds and other rhabdomancers teach the skill of dowsing.
Category:Character Kit
Category:Character Kit Dragon Magazine