"We would be absolutely fucked right now, except of course that I spent three months carving runes on these little stakes."
The Formations Expert prepares complex magic by writing down a bunch of fancy magic one a bunch of little pieces of stuff and then placing them just right to do level inappropriate magic. This means the class is extremely power variable with downtime and also that using them in combat is very difficult, but they can do completely bullshit things outside of combat and/or if they get to lay an ambush. Probably don't have your PCs ambushed by an NPC played to maximum, and as a PC consider very carefully how happy you will be if you are playing this class while clearing a new 14 room goblin cave every day.
Anyway it's an Intelligence based caster.
Hit Points: 1d4
Skill Points: 4+Int
Base Attack Bonus: Poor
Saving Throws: Good Will
Proficiencies: Formations Experts are proficient with all simple weapons. They are also proficient with all Armor and Shields because they spend a lot of time trying to survive the set up.
Class Skills: Ugh, just all of them I can't be bothered here seriously.
Table: Formations Expert
| Level: | Abilities: | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th |
| 01 | Talisman Casting, Formation Crafting, Formation Activation | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 02 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 03 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 04 | Telekinetic Formations | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 05 | Emergency Talismans | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 06 | 4 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 07 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 08 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 09 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | |
| 10 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | |
| 11 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | |
| 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | |
| 13 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | - | |
| 14 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | - | - | |
| 15 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | |
| 16 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | - | |
| 17 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | |
| 18 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | |
| 19 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |
| 20 | Epic Formations | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Class Features
Talisman Casting: A Formations Expert keeps a metric fuckton of minor Talismans on them, which they craft in advance and then channel their energy into to activate. They must schedule at least one hour every day to making more Talismans, sort of like a spellcaster preparing spells.
These Talismans are all only the things on the Talisman list. A Formations Expert can only activate a number of Talismans of each level as listed on their Talismans per day Table included in the class table. However, they are assumed to always have extra Talismans of every type, so they can spontaneously activate any Talisman from their list. This energy is replenished over time so it's literally just per 24 hour period, but they can get all the slots back at once when writing Talismans for an hour, like a Cleric preparing spells.
To activate a Talisman a Formations Expert must pull out the specific Talisman from where ever they stored it and then channel their energy into it, using up a per day slot. This action is equal to the casting time of the spell the Talisman is a copy of. This basically counts as a Somatic Component, and is stopped by anything that would stop you from doing that. But you get no spell failure from armor or whatever.
The Talismans have a Caster Level equal to your Formations Expert level and a DC of 10+1/2 character level+Int Modifier. Prestige classes that advance spellcasting, arcane or divine, advance this class feature.
Formation Crafting (Ex): A Formations Expert can craft extremely complicated spell like effects by making Formations, which are lots of different magic symbols of some kind carved or painted or written onto lots of different objects that all activate when placed correctly. These can be thematically whatever you want and change based on kind of Formation.
Mechanically, crafting a Formation requires One Hour of crafting for every effective spell level of the effect, including metamagic feats applied. The Formation Crafter can apply any and all Metamagic feats (of the Wizards of the Coast kind, not other kinds) to their Formations. They can also stack the same effect over and over and it always stacks.
Crafting these does not require spell slots and is limited by nothing but time. You are however limited to Crafting only spells that are equal to your highest level of Talisman crafting +1 from the Wizard, Sorcerer, Cleric, or Druid list. So a level 1 Formations Expert can craft Formations using 2nd level spells. This applies only to the unmodified Spell Level, not the modified Spell Level from metamagic feats which can be stacked without preventing the crafting.
You could craft a Widened Widened Widened Widened Widened Widened Widened Widened Widened Persisted Extended Extended Extended Extended Extended Repulsion which would be 5120ft per Caster Level, have a duration of 32 days, and be a level 46 Spell. Crafting this would take 46 Hours, and you would have to be level 9 Formations Expert to craft it.
You can spend 1000gp of Formations Ink per Modified Spell Level to craft a Formation in 10 minutes per Modified Spell Level instead, provided the unmodified spell is only level 5 or lower. Unmodified spells of level 6 or higher require similar values of Wish Economy Formations Ink for the same reduction in time. A comparable leveled Formations Expert is assumed to be able to make Wish level Formations Ink from Wish Economy Goods themselves given enough time. You can take Craft Formations Ink for the basic version or you can just buy fancy ink or fancy crafting tools or fancy ivory bones to inscribe on or whatever.
The amount of Formations crafted can scale to infinity with downtime, but if you start the game at higher level probably give them at least 5 times their Formations Expert Level in spell levels of prepared Formations. That's the bare minimum.
Formation Activation (Sp): Activating a Formation requires placing all the Formation Parts. This can be a problem. First, the Spell Effect can only happen inside or JUST outside the area enclosed by the Formation parts. So the above modified Repulsion example would require enclosing a circle area of 5120ft per Caster Level with the flags to get the full effect of the Widens. Generally speaking just assume that a circle on the ground can project up or down as much as the radius of the enclosed area or whatever. This also means you can't for example, place a Fireball Formation to fire a Fireball into a city from outside unless you build the Fireball Formation around the entire city.
Secondly, Placing the Formation Parts requires extreme precision in alignment and keeping them perfectly stable. This mostly means you have to stick them in solid material that is unmoving, IE, the entire formation has to be placed on the same vehicle or in the ground or whatever. You can't place them on moving parts of creatures. So you could place them all on the back of a giant tortoise shell, but you couldn't place them on a person who bends their torso.
Placing each flag is usually a Standard Action. This can be done by the Formations Expert or someone given specific instructions on the placement in advance with minor corrections as needed by the Formations Expert. This means you need to spend a Standard Action telling people where to place the Flag beforehand, and then it can't be changed and they have to place it exactly there. You can do this during the planning session before entering a room or whatever, you don't have to see the location. But you do have to maintain contact with anyone placing your flags for you to confirm placement or make minor corrections.
The Formation cannot activate until all the Parts are placed, and a Formation has a number of Parts equal to the Modified Spell Level after any Metamagic. So the Repulsion example has 46 Parts to place.
If an enemy spends a Standard Action removing or disrupting a Formation Part, then that part is no longer right and the Formation can't activate until you spend a Standard Action fixing it. They could also just destroy it and you are totally boned, so maybe write all your formations on Steel Rods or something. But all Formation Parts are considered your attended objects at all times, so they don't get blown up in Fireballs or whatever. They have to be specifically targeted to be destroyed. Formations made with expensive Formations Ink instead resist being moved out of line or destroyed, and any attempt to do either allows you to, as a free action, oppose the attack roll or spell with an opposed Caster Level Check. If you exceed the attack roll or Caster level check of the opposing effect, then it misses or is blocked by spell resistance.
Also if a Formation is in effect and has a non instantaneous duration, and someone kicks over a flag, then the entire Formation turns off and the spell ends like being dispelled.
Formations are used up in the act of activation and operation. Once the spell effect ends the Formation Parts have all their magic writing burned off and possibly the entire object consumed. They cannot be reused.
Telekinetic Formations(Sp): At level 4 you can spend a swift action placing a Formation Part telekinetically out to the range of Telekinesis. Since you are doing this, it counts as a Standard Action for the Placement because you are good at this. You can also use a Standard Action to Telekinetically place, in case you don't want to run all around the battlefield.
Emergency Talismans(Sp): At level 5 you can start pulling out emergency special talismans. What this means is you can activate Talismans using tomorrows Talisman Slots Today. But then tomorrow you can't use those slots. Tomorrow you can use 2 days from nows slots, sure, but if you are using all your tomorrow slots today you are a lot like a person who just had a normal number of slots. So try to fit some downtime in there.
Epic Formations(Sp): At level 20 a Formations Expert can craft Epic Formations, which require 10k in Wish Economy Inks per Day Spent. These Formations can accomplish anything an Epic Spell can, but it's Modified Spell Level is equal to the Spellcraft DC before Mitigations and they must spend a number of days equal to the Spellcraft DC to craft it.
The Talisman List:
First Level:
Wall of Smoke, Darkness, Grease, Alarm, Mage Armor, Nightshield, Shield, Shield of Faith
Second Level:
Glitterdust, Web, Earthlock, Soften Earth and Stone, Wall of Gloom, Wings of Cover
Third Level:
Stinking Cloud, Magic Circle Against [Alignment], Sleetstorm, Wind Wall, Greater Dispel Magic, Plant Growth, Wall of Light, Stone Shape,
Fourth Level:
Black Tentacles, Wall of Ice, Wall of Sand, Wall of [Alignment], Wall of Water, Illusory Wall, Resilient Sphere, Stoneskin, Wall of Crabs, Wall of Fire, Dimension Door
Fifth Level:
Wall of Stone, Passwall, Spell Resistance, Wall of Flesh, Wall of Force, Wall of Thorns, Spell Resistance, Spiritwall, Wall of Limbs, Wall of Greater Dispel Magic
Sixth Level:
Flesh to Stone, Stone to Flesh, Repulsion, Move Earth, Blade Barrier, Forbiddance, Globe of Invulnerability, Wall of Iron, Stonebody, Wall of Gears, Tunnel Swallow, Tortoise Shell
Seventh Level:
Stasis Energy Field, Forcecage, Diamond Body, Warding Shell, Glacial Juggernaut, Portal Barrier, Transmute Rock to Lava, Lithos Shield
Eighth Level:
Maze, Iron Body, Prismatic Wall, Protection from Spells, Telekinetic Sphere, Binding
Ninth Level:
Imprisonment, Lord Eiji's Sky Castle, Prismatic Sphere, Teleportation Circle