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1.2.3 Magic-User

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    You are a wielder of arcane power – Transcending the mundane world, performing reality-bending feats of wonder that normal people can barely imagine. You may bargain with other beings for power or rely on studies of others, but with magic at your call, you call no one master. Your personal power allows you to transcend the shackles of common people and attain true autonomy.

    Magic-user Level Title Proficiency Bonus Features Cantrips Known
    1st Hedge Mage +2 Spellcasting, Arcane Recovery, Arcane Origin 3
    2nd Medium +2 Arcane Origin Feature 3
    3rd Seer +2 3
    4th Conjurer +2 Ability Score Improvement 4
    5th Magician +3 4
    6th Diviner +3 Signature Focus 4
    7th Enchanter +3 4
    8th Incanter +3 Ability Score Improvement 4
    9th

    Thaumaturgist

    +4 —

    4
    10th +4 Spellcraft 4

    Features

    Hit Dice: 1d6 per magic-user level

    Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + Con modifier

    Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + Con modifier per magic-user level after 1st

    Ability Score Increase: Increase your spellcasting ability score and one other attribute score of your choice each by 1.

    Size: Your size is Medium.

    Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

    Armor: None

    Weapons: Daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaves, light crossbows

    Equipment: You start with the following equipment:

    • (a) a quarterstaff or (b) a dagger
    • (a) a scholar’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
    • (a) a spellbook or (b) alchemist’s supplies or (c) a scroll containing a 1st level spell of your choice

    Proficiency Area: You have studied all things magical, and supernatural as well as all that has to do with the names and functions of things and beings, including philosophy, the occult sciences (alchemy, astrology, metaphysics) as well as arcane heraldry both mundane and otherworldly, including notable contemporary magic-users and their reputed knowledges.

    1st Level Abilities

    Spellcasting

    The Magic-User Spell Slots per Level table shows your spell slots. To cast a spell, you must have the spell prepared and expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. Casting a spell doesn’t remove it from your list of prepared spells.

    Magic-user Spell Slots per Level
    Magic-User Level 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
    1st 2
    2nd 3
    3rd 4 2
    4th 4 3
    5th 4 3 2
    6th 4 3 3
    7th 4 3 3 1
    8th 4 3 3 2
    9th 4 3 3 3 1
    10th 4 3 3 3 2

    Spellcasting Ability

    Depending on your Arcane Origin, Intelligence or Charisma is your spellcasting ability, used whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. Use your Int/Cha modifier when setting a saving throw DC for a spell or making an attack roll with one.

    Spell save DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + Int/Cha

    Spell attack modifier = proficiency bonus + Int/Cha

    Cantrips

    Choose 3 cantrips from the magic-user spell list.

    Arcane Recovery Upon completing a short rest, you can recover expended spell slots of a combined level equal to or less than half your magic-user level (rounded up). The slots must be 5th level or lower. After using this ability, you must complete a long rest before you can use it again.

    Esoteric Training

    You gain the following benefits:

    Tower of Iron Will: You know mystic exercises that grant you advantage on all concentration checks.

    Memory Palaces: You can accurately recall anything you have seen or heard within the past month.

    Exotic Tongues: You learn two additional languages of your choice. These can include exotic languages.

    Arcane Origin

    The source of your magic defines how you learn spells.

    You regain all expended spell slots after a long rest.

    You can prepare a number of spells equal to your spellcasting ability modifier + your Magic-user level (minimum one spell). The spells prepared must be of a level you can cast.

    Feature: Arcane Origin

    Roll 1d3 or pick an origin (Quick Pick: Wizard).

    1 Wizard

    Your power comes from deep metaphysical study and intellectual prowess. You use Intelligence as your spellcasting ability.

    Spell Book

    Your spellbook contains six 1st-level magic-user spells of your choice. It is the repository of the magic-user spells you know and can prepare (except your cantrips, which remain fixed in your mind).

    Arcane Study: Retaining your prepared spells requires 1 hour of daily study of your spellbook. Each day without studying your prepared spells results in losing a random spell from your prepared spells (GM rolls a die).

    Once per day, when finishing a long or short rest, you can also change your list of prepared spells – This takes no extra time if done as part of your daily study. Else it takes 1 minute per spell level studying your spellbook for each new spell prepared.

    Ritual Casting

    You can use your spellbook to cast a magic-user spell as a ritual, if that spell has the ritual tag and you have it in your spell book. You don’t need to have the spell prepared.

    Learning New Spells

    You must seek out new magic-user spells to add to your spellbook yourself, either by finding them on adventures, studying with a another wizard or researching them. Either way, these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

    2 Warlock/Witch

    Your magic is derived from pacts with a powerful otherworldly entity.

    Choose one of Charisma or Intelligence as your spellcasting ability.

    Familiar Bond The Find Familiar spell is always prepared for you without counting against your prepared spells.

    Pact Magic

    You always know only as many spells as you can prepare. During a long rest, you may commune with your patron under the light of the moon through your familiar, and petition it to exchange one prepared spell for a new one.

    This requires a roll of your spell attack modifier against DC 12+spell level and takes 10 minutes per level of the spell. On a failure, the new spell is denied and may not be petitioned for again with the Pact Magic feature.

    One prepared spell per spell level may be chosen from any spell list. The rest must be chosen from the magic-user spell list.

    Learning New Spells Each time you gain a magic-user level or increase your spellcasting ability modifier, you can add a magic-user spell to your list of prepared spells. These must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

    3 Sorcerer

    You have an innate spark. Magic comes as naturally as breathing to you.

    You use Charisma as your spellcasting ability and always know only as many spells as you can prepare.

    Intuitive Magic Once per long rest, you may cast any spell from the Magic-user spell list you don’t know. This expends a slot one level higher than the actual spell (or a 1st level slot if a cantrip) and causes a level of exhaustion.

    Learning New Spells Each time you gain a magic-user level or increase your Cha modifier, you can add a magic-user spell of your choice to your list of spells prepared. Additionally, you can choose one magic-user spell and replace it with another magic-user spell. In either case, these must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

    2nd Level Abilities

    Arcane Origin Feature Depending on your Arcane Origin, you gain the ability listed in the table below.

    Wizard

    Loremaster

    Warlock/Witch

    Improved Familiar

    Sorcerer Innate Magic

    Loremaster

    Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check involving scholarly knowledge.

    Also, when you roll initiative, you can opt to make an Int check instead of a Dex check.

    Improved Familiar

    Your familiar may be summoned in the form of an imp, pseudodragon, or sprite.

    Your telepathic communication with your familiar and perception through its senses has no range limit as long as you are on the same plane of existence.

    While perceiving through your familiar’s senses, you can also speak through it in your own voice, even if it’s normally incapable of speech.

    Additionally, when you take the Attack action, you can forgo one of your own attacks to let your familiar make one attack.

    Innate Magic

    As a bonus action, you can create minor, non-harmful effects from the spells you know without casting a spell or using a spell slot. For example, Gust of Wind could have your hair always flowing in a breeze and Dimension Door could move a pearl between shells in a shell game. These effects should not be significantly stronger than described for the Prestidigitation cantrip.

    Furthermore, once per long rest, you can expend 2 spell slots to cast a high level spell equal in level to the combined levels of the two expended slots The spell must be on your list of prepared spells and can not exceed your highest possible spell level. The casting of it causes a level of exhaustion.

    4th Level Abilities

    Ability Score Improvement I

    Increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 with this feature.

    6th Level Abilities

    Signature Focus

    You can spend 8 hours attuning an arcane focus to your power. You may cast a spell (of no higher than 5th level) into the focus and store it. You can release it as a bonus action anytime you are wielding or wearing your focus. This uses up a spell slot that can’t be recovered until the stored spell has been released. The focus must be set with a gem worth at least 25 gp per maximum spell level you can store in it.

    8th Level Abilities

    Ability Score Improvement II

    Same as the 4th level Ability Score Improvement.

    10th Level Abilities

    Spellcraft Once per short rest, you may apply one of the effects below to a spell as you cast it. Doing so expends a slot one level higher than the actual spell.

    Careful Spell

    When you cast a spell that forces others to make a saving throw, choose a number of creatures up to your spellcasting ability modifier (minimum one creature) – these chosen creatures automatically succeed on their saving throw against the spell.

    Distant Spell

    When you cast a spell with a range of 5 feet or more, you can double the range of it.

    When you cast a spell with a range of touch, you can make the range of the spell 30 feet.

    Subtle Spell

    Your spell has no somatic or verbal components.

    The Wizard’s Spellbook

    You can find new spells during your adventures. Else, you will have to spend downtime researching spells yourself.

    Copying a Spell into the Book. When you find a non-cantrip spell, you can, if you could prepare it, add it to your spellbook and from there prepare the spell just like your other spells. This involves reproducing the form of the spell and practicing it until you understand the sounds or gestures required, then transcribe it into your spellbook.

    It takes 2 hours and costs 25 gp/spell level. This represents components you expend experimenting to master the spell, and the fine inks needed to record it.

    Replacing the Book. You can copy a spell from your own spellbook into another book, for backup. This is similar to copying a new spell but faster and easier. You only need to spend 1 hour and 10 gp per level of the copied spell.

    If you lose your spellbook, you can use the same procedure to transcribe the spells you have prepared into a new one.

    Learning from other wizards When non-hostile wizards cross paths, it is common to make informal inquiries to ascertain if they have spells to exchange to their mutual benefit (though their most prized spells might be kept secret!). Most wizards build relations with other wizards for just such purposes, whether through wizard guilds or more informal ‘grapevine’ networks.

    You may seek out other wizards, or guilds and bargain for an exchange of spells (if you know any rare ones). Or offer money or services to learn a spell.

    Such service costs at least 50 gp/spell level (half if you’re a member of a guild).

    It costs an extra 10 gp/spell level for the teaching wizard to transcribe a copy – to be paid by the student wizard, in addition to the regular cost of 25 gp per spell level to copy it into one’s own spell book.

    Researching new spells

    may also try to research a spell yourself, if it is of a spell level you can prepare. This is time consuming – Requiring 1 week of downtime per spell level and two rolls of your spell attack modifier against DC 10+spell level – One halfway through and another at the end. If either fails you must start from scratch. It also costs 100 gp per week of research, in addition to the regular cost of 25 gp per spell level to copy it into your own spell book.

    The Warlock/Witch’s Patron

    Your power is not learned, or given, but bought. At lower levels, the nature of your patron and the cost of the bargain may be left vague. As your character develops, you should, in collaboration with your GM, give thought to the nature of your patron and the cost of your pact. What price did you pay? Is it paid or to be paid?

    Is it one of the Old Ones? The King of Elfland or a duke of Hell? Or an ancient wizard who has transcended time itself? The nature of your patron might well reflect the secrets it has and will impart to you and the cost exacted for this power.

    Bargaining for secret knowledge Perhaps a spell was denied you during your moonlight compact that you simply must have, or maybe some other favor or Boon is needed. If desperate enough, you may attempt to bargain for these things under the next moon outside your existing compact. The price may be higher than you may wish to pay though.

    The Sorcerer ‘s Innate Gift

    Was your grandfather an elf lord? Or your mother an angel? Unlike other magic-users, you do not strive for or seek to tame power – It simply courses in your veins. You may seem human, but your bloodline has made you more than human. Your aura of personal power grants you effortless presence, as unnerving as it is beguiling.