Dimensionalist

The Dimensionalist is an obscure form of Specialist Wizard introduced during the days of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. It first appeared as an article in Dragon Magazine #229, and then reappeared with an official writeup in "Player's Option: Spells & Magic".

This uncommon specialist is a student of magic that relies on the manipulation of space, time, and dimension. The dimensionalist is familiar with all kinds of extradimensional pockets, planes, and sources of power. While other wizards can make use of these dimensions, the dimensionalist has a much clearer understanding of what he is doing and why when he casts spells of this school.

Though the Dimensionalist and Conjurer kits both focus on spells relating to the planes, it is in their particular area of expertise that they differ. Conjurers specialize in calling creatures from other realms to do their bidding. Dimensionalists focus on spells that directly draw energy from or manipulate the barriers between other planes - they are masters of teleportation, planar travel and spatial warping, amongst other aspects of extraplanar magic. They are not much for direct combat, but when it comes to avoiding trouble or circumnavigating obstacles, there's none better. It's all but impossible to keep a dimensionalist from going where they want to go.

Dragon Version

Taking the Dimensionalist Kit requires a minimum Intelligence of 9 and a Wisdom of 16. it is only open to the Human, Elf, Half-Elf and Gnome races.

Dimensionalists focus on "extraplanar" magic, a field of study that familiarizes them with all of the eight schools to some degree. Dimensionalists do not have Opposition Schools, but do suffer a -25% penalty to attempts to learn non-extraplanar spells.

A Dimensionalist gains a +2 to saving throws against extraplanar spells, inflicts a -2 penalty on saves against extraplanar spells they cast, and gains one extra dimensionalist spell at each spell level.

A dimensionalist has a +30% chance to learn extraplanar spells.

A dimensionalist can, once per day, cast a single extraplanar spell with a level bonus of +1d6.

A dimensionalist treats extraplanar spells as being one level lower when trying to invent their own spells.

At 17th level, the dimensionalist can cast Maze 1/day.

At 18th level, the dimensionalist can cast Contact Other Plane 2/day.

At 20th level, the dimensionalist can cast Gate 3/day.

Dimensionalist Spells The following list of spells covers the Player’s Handbook, Tome of Magic, Complete Wizard’s Handbook, Drow of the Underdark, Unearthed Arcana, and DRAGON® Magazine (issues #167 and #187).

• Player’s Handbook

2nd-level spells: deep pockets, detect invisibility, rope trick

3rd-level spells: blink, wraithform

4th-level spells: dimension door, minor creation, shadow monsters

5th-level spells: conjure elemental, contact other plane, demi-shadow monsters, dismissal, Leomund’s secret chest, major creation, shadow magic, summon shadow

6th-level spells: demi-shadow magic, ensnarement, invisible stalker, move earth, shades, true seeing

7th-level spells: banishment, Drawmij’s instant summons, Mordenkainen’s magnificent mansion, Mordenkainen’s sword, shadow walk, teleport without error, vanish

8th-level spells: binding, demand, maze, trap the soul

9th-level spells: astral spell, energy drain, gate

• Tome of Magic

5th-level spells: Khazid’s procurement

6th-level spells: Lorloveim’s shadowy transformation

9th-level spells: estate transference

• Complete Wizard’s Handbook

8th-level spells: shadow form

• Drow of the Underdark

9th-level spell: black blade of disaster

• Unearthed Arcana

5th-level spells: dolor

7th-level spells: torment truename

• DRAGON Magazine (#167 and #187)

1st-level spells: liquid orb

2nd-level spells: shark bolt, stone sleep

3rd-level spells: skulltrap, searing serpent, steam blast

5th-level spells: stone drill

7th-level spells: flame chase, wings

8th-level spells: airball, deep delve

9th-level spells: power word: liquefy, wind war

Player's Option Version

Only a Human or a Half-Elf Wizard can take the Dimensionalist kit, and they require a minimum Intelligence of 16 to do so - the kit's focus on non-Euclidean geometry and planar relationships demands the ability to handle these particularly difficult and esoteric forms of study.

Like all specialists, dimensionalists have Opposed Schools, and cannot learn any spells from those schools. Dimensionalists have no affinty for Enchantment or Necromancy spells, as these schools contain no spells relating to their area of interest.

A dimensionalist gains all of the standard boons of a specialist wizard:

• May memorize one additional spell of their speciality school per level.
• +1 to saves against spells of their speciality school.
• Targets of the specialist's speciality school spells suffer a -1 penalty to their saves.
• +15% bonus to learning checks for spells of their speciality school.
• -15% penalty to learning checks for spells from any other school.
• Gain an automatic spell of their speciality school whenever they gain a level.
• When inventing spells, if the spell belows to their speciality school, it is treated as one level lower.

Dimensionalists have a unique power; from 8th level onwards, they can Disappear into a dimensional pocket once per day. A Disappeared dimensionalist can remain in their pocket for no longer than one hour, and always exits at the exact same spot where they entered. Whilst in their pocket, a dimensionalist is completely incapable of perceiving the outer world, and they cannot cast any spells that would allow them to leave this dimensional pocket. On the upside, a Disappeared dimensionalist cannot be attacked and is invisible except to spells that can discern dimensional openings.

This power grows in potency as the dimensionalist gains greater experience; at 11th level they can bring in either one human-sized creature or an object weighing less than 500 pounds, whilst at 14th, they can bring in either up to 5 companions or an object weighing up to 1500 pounds.

Dimension Spells:

Detect Phase (1st)

Enlarge/Reduce (1st)

Gaze Reflection (1st)

Deeppockets (2nd)

Displace Self (2nd)

Rope Trick (2nd)

Blink (3rd)

Dimension Door (4th)

Distance Distortion (5th)

Improved Blink (5th)

Leomund's Secret Chest (5th)

Dimensional Blade (6th)

Etherealness (6th)

Drawmij's Instant Summons (7th)

Duo-dimension (7th)

Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion (7th)

Phase Door (7th)

Shadow Walk (7th)

Maze (8th)

Gate (9th)

Sphere of Ultimate Destruction (9th)

Time Stop (9th)