Mage, 4th Variant (5e Class)

From D&D Wiki

Jump to: navigation, search
Recycle.png This page was marked as abandoned on 23:40, 27 August 2023 (MDT) because: Issue(s) unaddressed for over a year. (discuss)

If you think you can improve this page please bring the page up to the level of other pages of its type, then remove this template. If this page is completely unusable as is and can't be improved upon based on the information given so far then replace this template with a {{delete}} template. If this page is not brought to playability within one year it will be proposed for deletion.

Edit this Page | All abandoned pages

Scales.png This page is of questionable balance. Reason: The main gimmick of the class, gaining the subclass features from any subclass belonging to a full spellcasting class is far too good. Because of this, this class is overall a powered up version of the wizard class as this class has a better spell list, far more features for a full spellcasting class, the ability to choose a number of powerful features from other subclasses, and various other issues.


You can help D&D Wiki by better balancing the mechanics of this page. When the mechanics have been changed so that this template is no longer applicable please remove this template. If you do not understand balance please leave comments on this page's talk page before making any edits.
Edit this Page | All pages needing balance

Mage[edit]

Mages are those who don't feel like they belong to any one pursuit of magic. Instead of following well-treaded paths, they've decided to walk different roads and cross the lines between disciplines. These often wandering wielders of magic engage in many forms of study, with their efforts quite often mistaken as people who can't stick to a single decision.

Creating a Mage[edit]

Creating a mage character demands a backstory dominated by at least one extraordinary event. How did your character first come into contact with magic? How did you discover you had an aptitude for it? Do you have a natural talent, or did you simply study hard and practice incessantly? Did you encounter a magical creature or an ancient tome that taught you the basics of magic? Finally, what caused you to forsake a normal Wizard's path to try ad create your own?

Quick Build

You can make a mage quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution. Second, choose the sage background. Third, choose the chill touch, prestidigitation and minor illusion cantrips, along side with the 1st Level spells burning hands, charm person feather fall, mage armor, magic missile, and sleep.

Magic Your Way[edit]

Mages are much more instinctive casters than wizards. Though they still use spellbooks and make records of what they've learned to pass on, their trade is less grounded in strict formulas and more doing what feels right even if crazy.

Class Features

As a Mage you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d6 per Mage level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + Constitution modifier per Mage level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: None
Weapons: daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows.
Tools:
Saving Throws: Charisma, Wisdom
Skills: Choose three from Arcana, Deception, History, Insight, Intimidation, Performance, Persuasion and Religion

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

Table: The Mage

Level Proficiency
Bonus
Features Cantrips Known —Spell Slots per Spell Level—
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
1st +2 Spellcasting, Tricks of The Trade Feature 3 2
2nd +2 Arcane Recovery, Practice Makes Perfect 3 3
3rd +2 Tricks of The Trade Feature, Cantrip Formulas 3 4 2
4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 4 4 3
5th +3 Tricks of The Trade Feature 4 4 3 2
6th +3 Practice Makes Perfect 4 4 3 3
7th +3 Tricks of The Trade Feature 4 4 3 3 1
8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 4 4 3 3 2
9th +4 Tricks of The Trade Feature 4 4 3 3 3 1
10th +4 Magical Attunement 5 4 3 3 3 2
11th +4 Tricks of The Trade Feature 5 4 3 3 3 2 1
12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 5 4 3 3 3 2 1
13th +5 Tricks of The Trade Feature 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1
14th +5 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1
15th +5 Tricks of The Trade Feature 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1
16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1
17th +6 Tricks of The Trade Feature 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 1
18th +6 Mastery of Craft 5 4 3 3 3 3 1 1 1 1
19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 5 4 3 3 3 3 2 1 1 1
20th +6 Many Hands Make Light Work 5 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 1 1


Spellcasting[edit]

As a student of magic, you've dabbled into the various arcane studies and have decided to forge your own path instead. You pull your magic from multiple disciplines and walks of life, synthesizing the bard, sorcerer, warlock, and wizard spell lists to create the Mage spell list through sheer force of will and stubborness

Cantrips

At 1st level, you know three cantrips of your choice from the Mage spell list.You learn additional cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Mage table.

You have scribed a set of arcane formulas in your spellbook that you can use to formulate a cantrip in your mind. Whenever you finish a long rest and consult those formulas in your spellbook, you can replace one cantrip you know with another cantrip from the Arcane spells.

Spellbook

At 1st level, you have a spellbook containing six 1st-level Mage spells of your choice. Your spellbook is the repository of the Mage spells you know, except your cantrips, which are fixed in your mind.

Preparing and Casting Spells

The Mage table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of level 1st and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

You prepare the list of mage spells that are available for you to cast. To do so, choose a number of mage spells from your spellbook equal to your Charisma modifier + your mage level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

For example, if you’re a 3rd-level mage, you can prepare two 1st-level and two level 2nd spell slots in any combination that you know. If you prepare the level 1st spell magic missile, you can cast it using a level 1st or level 2nd slot. In any combination from your known spells. Casting the spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells.

You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of mage spells requires time spent studying or meditating the incantations and gestures you must make to cast the spell: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your mage spells since you learn your spells through dedicated learning of your powers. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a mage spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Ritual Casting

You can cast a mage spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell in your spell list. You don’t need to have the spell prepared.

Spellcasting Focus

You can use an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus for your mage spells.

Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher

Each time you gain a Mage level, you can add two mage spells of your choice to your spellbook. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots, as shown on the Mage table. On your adventures, you might find other spells that you can add to your spellbook (see "Your Spellbook").

Your Spellbook[edit]

The spells that you add to your spellbook as you gain levels reflect the arcane research you conduct on your own, as well as intellectual breakthroughs you have had about the nature of the multiverse. You might find other spells during your adventures. You could discover a spell recorded on a scroll in an evil wizard's chest, for example, or in a dusty tome in an ancient library.

Copying a Spell into the Book. When you find a mage spell of 1st level or higher, you can add it to your spellbook if it is of a spell level you can prepare and if you can spare the time to decipher and copy it. Copying a spell into your spellbook involves reproducing the basic form of the spell, then deciphering the unique system of notation used by the caster who uses it. You must practice the spell until you understand the sounds or gestures required, then transcribe it into your spellbook using your own notation.

For each level of the spell, the process takes 2 hours and costs 50 gp. The cost represents material components you expend as you experiment with the spell to master it, as well as the fine inks you need to record it. Once you have spent this time and money, you can prepare the spell just like your other spells.

Copying from a Spell Scroll. A mage spell on a spell scroll can be copied just as spells in spellbooks can be copied. When you copy a spell from a spell scroll, you must succeed on an Charisma (Arcana) check with a DC equal to 10 + the spell's level. If the check succeeds, the spell is successfully copied. Whether the check succeeds or fails, the spell scroll is destroyed.

Learning a Spell from a Teacher. A mage is also adept at learning spells from others. Using the same process as copying scrolls into spellbooks, the mage additionally needs to find a willing instructor. The time to learn a spell in this way is changed to 1 hour per spell level for the tutelage. However spells cost 100 gold per spell level as part of the instructor's compensation. The instructor can choose to waive the extra fees reduce and the cost back down to 50 gold per spell level.

Replacing the Book. You can copy a spell from your own spellbook into another book—for example, if you want to make a backup copy of your spellbook. This is just like copying a new spell into your spellbook, but faster and easier, since you understand your own notation and already know how to cast the spell. You need spend only 1 hour and 10 gp for each level of the copied spell. If you lose your spellbook, you can use the same procedure to transcribe the spells that you have prepared into a new spellbook. Filling out the remainder of your spellbook requires you to find new spells to do so, as normal. For this reason, many mages keep backup spellbooks in a safe place.

The Book's Appearance. Your spellbook is a unique compilation of spells, with its own decorative flourishes and margin notes. It might be a plain, functional leather volume that you received as a gift from your master, a finely bound gilt-edged tome you found in an ancient library, or even a loose collection of notes scrounged together after you lost your previous spellbook in a mishap.

Tricks of the Trade[edit]

Not one for strickly adhering to traditions and teachings, the Mage sets about a different means of getting by picking and choosing what best fits their style.

Starting at 1st level, you can choose to gain a feature of any subclass from a fullcaster class, as long as a character with that subclass could do so at that level or lower. If a feature requires something else to function, you must also have said prerequisite.

If you gain spells known with this feature, you always have these spells prepared and they don't count against the number of spells you have prepared. For you, these spells count as Mage spells. All level requirements are still respected.

If the feature adds spells to a spell list, they are added to the Mage spell list and must be learned normally.

Features gained use the Mage's class level, Spell Save DC, Spell attack modifier, and Charisma Modifier in place of the feature's normal usage of the same effects.

Alternatively, you can take feats instead of taking features. You must still meet the prerequisites of these feats.

Arcane Recovery[edit]

You have learned to regain some of your magical energy through meditation or study. Once per day when you finish a short rest, you can choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than half your mage level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher.

For example, if you’re a 4th-level mage, you can recover up to two levels worth of spell slots. You can recover either a 2nd-level spell slot or two 1st-level spell slots.

Practice Makes Perfect[edit]

You have been figuring things out on your own ever since you abandoned your spellbook, and you've got a good method now.

At 2nd level, choose a skill or a tool. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the chosen proficiency.

At 6th level, you can choose another skill or a tool proficiency to gain this benefit.

Cantrip Formulas[edit]

You have scribed a set of arcane formulas in your spellbook that you can use to formulate a cantrip in your mind. Whenever you finish a long rest and consult those formulas in your spellbook, you can replace one mage cantrip you know with another cantrip from the mage spell list.

Ability Score Increase[edit]

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Magical Attunement[edit]

Starting at level 10, your connection with arcane has grown exponentially, allowing you to attune to the various ways magic is used quicker and easier. You ignore all level and spell requirements on attuning or using a magic item. Additionally, you count as a Bard, Warlock, Wizard, or Sorcerer when attuning or using a magic item. Any features which refer to these classes in any capacity instead refer to the mage and its equivalent features.

Mastery of Craft[edit]

You've learned so much from different branches of magic that it all comes as naturally as breathing.

At 18th level, the Mage spell list now also includes the Cleric and Druid spell lists. Copying spells now only takes 1 minute and 10 gold per spell level. Additionally as a bonus action once per short or long rest, you may exchange a Tricks of the Trade feature for another valid feature.

Many Hands Make Light Work[edit]

You've seen all the the ways the roads have gone but now you wish to travel the paths not taken.

By 20th level, you have learned to peer into the lives of your alternative selves and ask for a bit of assistance. When you cast a Concentration spell, you may have someone that is you-yet-not take the burden of focusing on it. Whenever you make a Concentration save, you must roll for each spell being held in this manner as well.

You can use this feature this a number of times per long rest equal to your proficiency bonus.

Multiclassing[edit]

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Mage class, you must meet these prerequisites: Charisma 13

0.00
(0 votes)

Back to Main Page5e HomebrewClasses<!-gains power through knowledge, almost always spellcaster->

Home of user-generated,
homebrew pages!


Advertisements: