Mage

Mage

Clad in the silver robes that denote her station, an elf closes her eyes to shut out the distractions of the battlefield and begins her quiet chant. Fingers weaving in front of her, she completes her spell and launches a tiny bead of fire toward the enemy ranks, where it erupts into a conflagration that engulfs the soldiers.

Shifting his gaze between a battered tome and the odd alignment of the stars overhead, a wild-eyed human chants the mystic ritual that will open a doorway to a distant world.

Checking and rechecking his work, a gnome scribes an intricate magic circle in chalk on the bare stone floor, then sprinkles powdered iron along every line and graceful curve. When the circle is complete, she drones a long incantation. A hole opens in space inside the circle, bringing a whiff of brimstone from the otherworldly plane beyond.

Looking over the ancient tomes, a tiefling searches frantically for details of a spell that will uphold the mystic seal over her ancestral home. When the impossibly heavy doors swing open behind her, she turns to face the temple’s guardians as her sword is wreathed in shadow.

Mages are drawn to magical energy, defined and united by it. They study these energies that permeate the cosmos, seeking understanding of magic.

Scholars of Magic

Wild and enigmatic, varied in form and function, the power of magic draws students who seek to master its mysteries. Through study and rigorous practice, mages are able to unlock magic that pervades the multiverse using arcane words and gestures to elicit magical effects. Spells require expertise attained after years of apprenticeship and countless hours of study.

Mages live and die by their spells. Everything else is secondary. They learn new spells as they experiment and grow in experience. They can also learn them from other mages, from ancient tomes or inscriptions, and from ancient creatures (such as the fey) that are steeped in magic.

The Lure of Knowledge

Mage’s lives are seldom mundane. The closest a mage is likely to come to an ordinary life is working as a sage or lecturer in a library or university, teaching others the secrets of the multiverse. Other mages sell their services as diviners, serve as a guard or in military forces, or pursue lives of crime or domination. A few mages aspire to become like the gods, shaping reality itself.

But the lure of knowledge and power calls even the most unadventurous mages out of the safety of their libraries and laboratories and into crumbling ruins and lost cities. Most mages believe that mages in ancient civilizations knew secrets of magic that have been lost to the ages, and discovering those secrets could unlock the path to a power greater than any magic available in the present age.

Creating a Mage

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?

What drew you forth from your life of study? Did your first taste of magical knowledge leave you hungry for more? Have you received word of a secret repository of knowledge not yet plundered by any other mage? Perhaps you’re simply eager to put your newfound magical skills to the test in the face of danger.

Archetypes

Choose an archetype, which grants you features.

Wizards are supreme magic-users, defined and united by the spells they cast. Drawing on the subtle weave of magic that permeates the cosmos, wizards cast spells of explosive fire, arcing lightning, subtle deception, and brute-force mind control. Their magic conjures creatures from other planes of existence, glimpses the future, or turns slain foes into zombies. Their mightiest spells change one substance into another, call meteors down from the sky, or open portals to other worlds.

Health

Health Dice: 1d6 per level
Health: 1d6 (or 4) + your Constitution per level

Aptitudes

Armor: You are not capable with any armor.
Saving Throw: You are capable with Will saving throws and either Fortitude or Reflex saving throws.
Skills:

You are capable with Arcana and five skills, one of which must be Weapons. You cannot be capable with martial weapons and cannot be proficient with any weapon.

Equipment

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

Arcane Traditions

The study of wizardry is ancient, stretching back to the earliest mortal discoveries of magic. It is firmly established in fantasy gaming worlds, with various traditions dedicated to its complex study. The most common arcane traditions in the multiverse revolve around the schools of magic. Mages through the ages have cataloged thousands of spells. In some places, there are literally schools of magic, a combination of certain themes. In other institutions, the schools are more like academic departments, with rival faculties competing for students and funding. Even mages who train apprentices in the solitude of their own towers use the division of magic into schools as a learning device, since the spells of each school require mastery of different techniques.

Choose an Arcane Tradition

Choose an arcane tradition, which grants you features.

Archivists seek out esoteric sources of lore, wherever those sources might be, securing those secrets for themselves and their fellow scholars. The promise of uncovering new knowledge or proving (or discrediting) a theory of magic is usually required to rouse an archivist from its laboratory, academy, and archives to pursue a life of adventure.

Followers of this tradition are a bookish lot who see beauty and mystery in the application of magic. The results of a spell are less interesting to them than the process that creates it. Some archivists take a haughty attitude toward those who follow a tradition focused on a single school of magic, seeing them as provincial and lacking the sophistication needed to master true magic. Other archivists are generous teachers, countering ignorance and deception with deep knowledge and good humor.

The Wizard

LevelAptitude BonusFeaturesArcane DiscoveriesManaMana Limit
1st+1Arcane Power, Arcane Research, Second Wind, Specialty221
2nd+1Arcane Adaptation, Arcane Innovation, Arcane Inspiration, Arcane Study (1), Feat (1)431
3rd+1Abilities Increase (1), Skilled (1)651
4th+1Feat (2)861
5th+2Arcane Innovation, Skilled (2), Extra Action, Focused Concentration1082
6th+2Feat (3), Resilient1292
7th+2Abilities Increase (2), Skilled (3)14112
8th+2Feat (4)16122
9th+3Arcane Study (2), Skilled (4)18143
10th+3Feat (5), Resilient20153
11th+3Abilities Increase (3), Skilled (5)22173
12th+3Feat (6)24183
13th+4Arcane Inspiration, Skilled (6)26204
14th+4Feat (7)28214
15th+4Abilities Increase (4), Skilled (7)30234
16th+4Feat (8)32244
17th+5Arcane Study (3), Skilled (8), Signature Spells34265
18th+5Feat (9)36275
19th+5Abilities Increase (5), Skilled (9)38295
20th+5Feat (10)40305

Features

Arcane Power

1st

You are a student of arcane magic.

Power source

You can learn spells from themes you know in the Arcane power source.

Themes

You know one theme of your choice and the Divination theme.

Spellbook

Your spellbook

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. Remember that a spellbook has 100 blank vellum pages suitable for recording spells and a spell takes up one page per mana cost.

Replacing the book. You can copy a spell from your own spellbook into another spellbook—for example, if you want to make a copy so another mage can learn from it or to make a backup of your spellbook. For each mana cost of the spell this uses 1 mana, takes 5 minutes, and costs 20 sp.

If you lose your spellbook, you can use the same procedure to transcribe the spells that you know 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.

You have a spellbook. Each time you gain a level you can write the spells you learn from that level into your spellbook without expending any silver, though you still must spend time writing them.

Arcane Discoveries

You gain two arcane discoveries as shown on the Arcane Discoveries column of the Wizard table. An arcane discovery grants one of the following options:

  • Learn two cantrips from themes you know in your power source.
  • Learn a new spell from a theme you know in your power source. The spell must cost equal to, or less than, your mana limit. If the spell costs 2 or more mana, you must know a number of feats or spells from the spell’s theme equal to the spell’s mana cost minus 1.
  • You can use two arcane discoveries to learn a new theme. If it is from your power source, you learn a cantrip from it.

When you gain a level, you gain additional arcane discoveries as shown on the Arcane Discoveries column of the Wizard table and you can

  • Choose a cantrip you know and replace it with another cantrip from a theme you know. You cannot replace a cantrip if you would then know zero cantrips from that theme.
  • Choose a spell that costs 1 or more mana and replace it with another spell that costs 1 or more mana from a theme you know, following the restrictions above. If the replaced spell is in your spellbook it disappears from your spellbook.

Starting Spells

You know three cantrips and three spells of your choice from the themes you know.

Mana

The Wizard table shows how much mana you have to cast spells. To cast a spell, you must expend mana based on the spell’s cost.

You regain half your total mana when you finish a short rest and all expended mana when you finish a long rest.

Mana Limit

There is a limit on the amount of mana you can spend to cast a spell. The limit is based on your level, as shown on the Mana Limit column of the Wizard table.

High mana spells

Spells using 4 or 5 mana are particularly taxing to cast. Once you cast a spell using 4 mana, you can’t cast another spell using 4 mana until you finish a short or long rest and once you cast a spell using 5 mana, you can’t cast another spell using 5 mana until you finish a long rest.

Spellcasting Ability

Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your spells, since you learn your spells through dedicated study and memorization. You use your intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. The Arcana skill describes how to cast a spell.

Ritual Casting

You can cast a spell you know as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag. Additionally, you can cast a spell in your spellbook as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and is from a theme you know.

Arcane Research

1st
d20Complication
1Your experiments have drawn unwanted attention from someone or something who will make your life more difficult such as a demon, a higher power, a noble of the land, a thief, a mage hunter, a wild monster, a rival mage, a zealous acoloyte, a furious naturalist, or an angry mob.
2–3There was a small fire and you accidentally singed your spellbook. Lose one random spell from your spellbook (or the spellbook itself if you have no spells to lose).
4–8Your experimentation has caused an accident. You owe 2d10 × 10 sp per mana cost to cover the damages.
9–20Your experimentation caused strange results. Roll on the Wild Surge table.

As a student of the arcane, you are able to learn spells through careful study, research, and experimentation. To perform arcane research, there are four basic steps:

1. Choose a topic

Choose a spell that costs equal to, or less than, your mana limit.

2. Research and experimentation

To conduct research and experiments, you need access to your spellbook, inks, any material components required by the spell, and a relatively stable environment to experiment. This process takes 8 hours, using 1 mana every 2 hours (which can be done in 2 hour chunks and as a downtime activity), and costs 50 sp for each mana cost of the spell (minimum 1). This represents attempting to cast the spell several times with different environments, materials, or targets to learn how it works.

For every hour of research and experimentation, make a skill check using the skill associated with the spell’s power source (Arcane: Arcana, Divine: Divinity, Occult: Occult, Primal: Primal, and Psionic: Psionics). You must be capable with the skill, or proficient if the spell costs 2 or more mana. The Difficulty is 18 + 2 × the spell’s mana cost. For every additional 5 sp for each mana cost of the spell that you spend every hour by hiring assistants, buying equipment, buying materials to test on, etc, you gain a +1 bonus to this check (up to your mana limit).

Add 5 to the difficulty if the spell is from a theme you don’t know or if the spell costs 2 or more mana and you don’t know a number of spells from the spell’s theme equal to the spell’s mana cost minus 1.

On a success, the time counts toward your research. If you have completed the time to research the spell, you can transcribe the spell into your spellbook, which costs 50 sp for each mana cost of the spell. The spell is considered to be from your power source. You can learn a number of spells from a theme you don’t know up to your mana limit + 1.

On a failure, the time is wasted. If you fail by 4 or less, you gain a research credit. If you fail by 5 or more, you are unable to try again for 24 hours and roll a d20 and compare the result to the complications table.

3. Determine complications

Roll a d6. If you roll less than or equal to the mana cost of the spell then there is a complication. Roll a d20 and compare the result to the complications table.


Research Credits

During your experiments you may make some advancements and during your adventures you may find research notes made by other mages. These research credits can help you during your experimentation. When you make a research check, you can spend a research credit to add 2d4 to the result.

During your adventures you could discover a spell recorded on the wall of an evil mage’s lair, in a dusty tome in an ancient library, or on a spell scroll. While you have the spell accessible, you can gain the benefits of a research credit to learn that spell without spending a research credit. A spell scroll is only partially sufficient to learn from as it is written in a simplified mystical cipher that other mages can repeat so research credits from a spell scroll are partial credits which add 1d4 to the result instead of 2d4. If you learn the spell, the original magical writing dims as the magic contained in it is absorbed.

Second Wind

1st

You have a limited well of energy that you can draw on to protect yourself from harm. As an action, you can spend up to half your Health Dice (minimum 1). For each Health Die spent in this way, roll the die and add your Constitution. You can decide to spend an additional Health Die after each roll. You regain health equal to the total.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Specialty

1st

Choose one theme. The cost and time you must spend to copy spells from this theme into your spellbook is halved.

Arcane Adaptation

2nd

On a short rest you can choose a number of spells you know up to half your Aptitude Bonus (min 1) and replace each of them with another spell in your spellbook from a theme you know, which must cost equal to, or less than, your mana limit. On a long rest you can choose and replace a number of spells equal to your Aptitude Bonus.

Arcane Innovation

2nd5th

Your study of spells has led you to understand how to how to manipulate your spells to suit your needs. You gain 1 metamagic and learn one metamagic option of your choice. You regain metamagic on a short or long rest.

At 5th level you gain an additional metamagic and learn one major metamagic option of your choice.

Arcane Inspiration

2nd13th

You can call a spell to mind that suits your needs. On your turn with your spellbook in hand, you can cast a spell that is in your spellbook as if you know it. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

You can use this feature twice between rests starting at 13th level.

Arcane Study

2nd9th17th

You have studied themes from other power sources. Choose one theme from the Arcane, Divine, Occult, Primal, or Psionic power source. That theme is considered to be from the Arcane power source. You must be capable with the Divinity skill to study a theme from the Divine power source, the Occult skill to study a theme from the Occult power source, the Primal skill to study a theme from the Primal power source, and the Psionics skill to study a theme from the Psionic power source.

At 9th level and 17th level one additional theme is considered to be from your power source.

A feat represents an area of expertise that gives a character special aptitudes. It embodies training, experience, and abilities beyond what a class provides.

You gain a feat of your choice from the general feats or from a theme you know.

You gain additional feats at 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th, and 20th level.

When you gain a level, you can choose one of the feats you know and replace it with another feat that you could have learned when the replaced feat was chosen.

Abilities Increase

3rd7th11th15th19th

Increase two abilities of your choice by 1 and one of your lowest two abilities by 1. If multiple abilities are tied for one of your lowest abilities, you can choose any of them. As normal, you can’t increase an ability above 5 using this feature.

Increase your abilities again at 7th, 11th, 15th, and 19th level.

Choose a skill to become capable with. At 5th level or higher, you can become proficient if you choose a skill you are already capable with.

At 3rd level you also choose a Weapons skill to improve.

At 5th level you choose three skills to improve instead of one and also choose a Weapons skill to improve.

At 7th level you also choose a Weapons skill to improve.

You cannot be capable with martial weapons and cannot be proficient with any weapon.

Extra Action

5th

Reminder

There are some limits for what can be done with two actions. See Actions in combat section.

You can use two actions on your turn instead of one.

Focused Concentration

5th

If you fail a saving throw to maintain your concentration on a spell, you can use your reaction to reroll the saving throw.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

Resilient

6th10th

Choose Fortitude, Reflex, or Will saving throws to become capable with, or proficient if you are already capable.

Choose another saving throw at 10th level.

Signature Spells

17th

You have achieved such mastery over certain spells that you can alter them. Choose two spells that are in your spellbook: one spell that costs 1 mana and one spell that costs 2 mana or less. Choose one metamagic option to always apply to one of the chosen spells and one major metamagic option to always apply to the other chosen spell.

With a week of practtice, you can exchange one or all of the spells and metamagic options you chose.