Blackstaff's Tome of Wizardry: Difference between revisions
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'''Blackstaff's Tome of Wizardry''' is a 3rd party [[splatbook]] for [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]] that seeks to expand the [[Wizard]] class with a whopping ''31'' new subclasses to represent different arcane traditions. It also includes new character personalizing tables to reflect your wizard PC's belief in the ultimate source of magic and how they first became a wizard, a plethora of new spells to supplement each subclass, and a 5e conversion of the [[Guardinal]] race of [[Celestial]]s, which has been missing in action since the end of 3rd edition. | '''Blackstaff's Tome of Wizardry''' is a 3rd party [[splatbook]] for [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]] that seeks to expand the [[Wizard]] class with a whopping ''31'' new subclasses to represent different arcane traditions. It also includes new character personalizing tables to reflect your wizard PC's belief in the ultimate source of magic and how they first became a wizard, a plethora of new spells to supplement each subclass, and a 5e conversion of the [[Guardinal]] race of [[Celestial]]s, which has been missing in action since the end of 3rd edition. | ||
The creators followed it up with the [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|Sorcerer]] equivalent [[Blackstaff's Book of Bloodlines]]. | |||
==School of Alchemical Artillery== | ==School of Alchemical Artillery== | ||
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In comparison to the Guild Wizard, the Hedge Mage is a self-taught practitioner of the arcane arts who, in many ways, exemplifies the [[adventurer]]-[[wizard]], with a focus on self-reliance and versatility. | In comparison to the Guild Wizard, the Hedge Mage is a self-taught practitioner of the arcane arts who, in many ways, exemplifies the [[adventurer]]-[[wizard]], with a focus on self-reliance and versatility. | ||
At level 2, the Hedge Mage gains '''Favored Enemy'' (as per the [[Ranger]]) and '''Hedge Spellcasting''', which has two methods of use. ''Hedge Defense'' lets the Hedge Mage spend a spell slot as a Reaction when they or an ally within 30 feet is targeted by a spell (the spent spell-slot has to equal the level of the incoming spell) to gain Advantage on the save. ''Hedge Offense'' lets the Hedge Mage burn an extra spell slot of the original spell's level when casting a spell on their enemies to impose Disadvantage on the save - when used on a spell that targets multiple creatures, the Hedge Mage can affect a number of targets equal to their Intelligence modifier. | At level 2, the Hedge Mage gains '''Favored Enemy''' (as per the [[Ranger]]) and '''Hedge Spellcasting''', which has two methods of use. ''Hedge Defense'' lets the Hedge Mage spend a spell slot as a Reaction when they or an ally within 30 feet is targeted by a spell (the spent spell-slot has to equal the level of the incoming spell) to gain Advantage on the save. ''Hedge Offense'' lets the Hedge Mage burn an extra spell slot of the original spell's level when casting a spell on their enemies to impose Disadvantage on the save - when used on a spell that targets multiple creatures, the Hedge Mage can affect a number of targets equal to their Intelligence modifier. | ||
At level 6, they gain '''Improved Arcane Recovery''', which adds their Intelligence modifier to the number of spell slots regained when using Arcane Recovery. | At level 6, they gain '''Improved Arcane Recovery''', which adds their Intelligence modifier to the number of spell slots regained when using Arcane Recovery. |
Latest revision as of 19:01, 17 June 2023
Blackstaff's Tome of Wizardry is a 3rd party splatbook for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition that seeks to expand the Wizard class with a whopping 31 new subclasses to represent different arcane traditions. It also includes new character personalizing tables to reflect your wizard PC's belief in the ultimate source of magic and how they first became a wizard, a plethora of new spells to supplement each subclass, and a 5e conversion of the Guardinal race of Celestials, which has been missing in action since the end of 3rd edition.
The creators followed it up with the Sorcerer equivalent Blackstaff's Book of Bloodlines.
School of Alchemical Artillery[edit]
This is a unique blend of an alchemist and an evoker, focusing on utilising arcane magic combined with alchemical formula to a maximise their abilities to unleash a strong offense from a long range.
At 2nd level, the Alchemical Artillerist gains the features Alchemical Expert (free proficiency in Arcana and Alchemist's Supplies) and Siege Artillerist (by using alchemical supplies as a material component, the Artillerist can cause a spell to deal double damage to objects and structures) - this latter feature can only be used Intelligence modifier times per day, with all uses recharging on a long rest.
At 6th level, they gain the feature Fog of War. By including alchemical supplies as a material component to any spell that has an area of effect, they can cause a spell to create a short-lived cloud of smoke in the targeted area; it's the same size as the original spell's area and is Heavily Obscured for the first turn and Lightly Obscured for the second turn, dissipating entirely on the third turn. Like the Siege Artillerist feature, an Alchemical Artillerist can only invoke this feature's benefits a number of times per day equal to their Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1), and they recharge it by completing a long rest.
10th level brings with it the Intensify Elements feature; once per short rest, by including alchemical supplies as a material component in any spell that does Acid, Cold, Fire or Lightning damage, the Artillerist can treat all damage die rolls of 1 as 2s instead.
Finally, 14th level gives them the Concentration or Dilution feature. This power can be invoked once per day when casting a damage-dealing area-of-effect spell; the caster can choose to either Concentrate the spell (halve the affected area, but all targets save with Disadvantage) or Dilute the spell (double the affected area, but all targets count as Resisting the damage done).
Arcane Experimenter[edit]
One of several subclasses in this splat that technically harken back to the "generalist" wizard of old, the Arcane Experimenter is a "practical" wizard who, as their name suggests, is constantly experimenting with new ways to cast or manipulate magic, and goes into battle to test out their latest formula. The result is a wizard subclass with a set of almost fighter-like focus on a unique set of spellcasting tricks.
At 2nd level, the Arcane Experimenter gains the Experimenter's Kit (free tool proficiency in Alchemist's Supplies) and Arcane Superiority - this is basically access to a unique set of spellcasting tricks using the mechanics for the Maneuvers system possessed by the Battlemaster Fighter. The Experimenter starts with 3 Arcane Maneuvers (see below) and 4 Superiority Dice, which are d6s. They gain a bonus Arcane Maneuver at levels 6, 10 and 14 (which is also when they can trade out one of their old Maneuvers), and a bonus Superiority Die at levels 7 and 15.
6th level gives them the feature Prepared Superiority, which means they regain a superiority die when they roll a natural 20 on an Intelligence save or ability check, or when they use up all of their highest spell slots (this only works once per long rest, though) in addition to regaining superiority dice by taking a rest.
10th level follows up with Improved Superiority, which upgrades the value of the Experimenter's superiority die to D8s - this feature is then gained again at level 10, when it bumps them up to d10s.
Finally, 14th level is when they gain the feature Relentless, which means they automatically regain a superiority die whenever they roll iniative but have none available.
Arcane Maneuvers[edit]
Arcane Stability: If you are required to make a Constitution saving throw to maintain your concentration, as a reaction, you can expend one superiority die and add twice the number rolled on the superiority die to your saving throw. You apply this bonus after you roll the die, but before the outcome is determined.
Experimental Formula: When you cast a spell that requires a saving throw, as a reaction, you can expend one superiority die and increase the spell save DC by half the number rolled on the superiority die (rounded down). You apply this bonus before the saving throw is rolled.
Imbued Alacrity: When you roll initiative, as a reaction, you can expend one superiority die and add the result of the superiority die to your initiative score. In addition, you gain bonus movement for the first round of combat equal to 5 feet x the result of the superiority die roll.
Occult Insight: When you make an Intelligence check, as a reaction, you can expend one superiority die and add the number rolled on the superiority die to your check. You apply this bonus after you roll the die, but before the outcome is determined.
Power Surge: When you hit a creature with an attack, or it fails a saving throw against a spell you cast, as a reaction, you can expend one superiority die and deal force damage equal to the result of the superiority die. If the spell affects more than one creature, you choose which creature takes the additional damage. At 11th level this additional damage becomes 2x the amount shown on the superiority die.
Spell Dispersal: If you are required to make a saving throw against a spell or magical effect, as a reaction, you can expend one superiority die and add the number rolled on the superiority die to your saving throw. You apply this bonus after you roll the die, but before the outcome is determined.
Weave Ward: If you are hit by an attack whilst not wearing armor, as a reaction, you can expend one superiority die and add the number rolled to your AC until the end of this turn. If the attack still hits, you take half damage instead. You can apply this bonus after the die is rolled, but before the outcome is determined.
School of Astromancy[edit]
This is a practitioner of magic drawing from the powers of the stars and planets... in Warhammer Fantasy terms, this is a wizard who practices the Lore of the Heavens.
Their level 2 features are Star Sight (gain Darkvision 30 feet that ignores magical darkness; if they already had Darkvision, it increases by +30 feet) and Reactive Levitation (after casting a spell, the astromancer can hover a foot off of the ground until the end of their next turn as a bonus action).
Level 6 grants Power of the Stars, which is Resistance to Radiant damage and the ability to change a spell's damage type from Fire or Lightning to Radiance 2/day.
Level 10 grants Radiant Cuirass, which lets the astromancer expend a spell slot as a bonus action to manifest a magical forcefield that lasts for 1 minute, grants an AC bonus equal to half the spell slot's level, and when the astromancer is hit by a weapon attack from a visible creature within 60 feet inflicts 1d6 Radiant damage on the assailant.
Level 14 grants Master of Gravity, which adds the spell Reverse Gravity to the astromancer's spellbook for free, lets them cast it without needing to spend a spell slot 1/day, and grants them a Fly speed equal to their movement speed whilst they are under the effects of the Reverse Gravity spell.
School of Battlemagi[edit]
You might be thinking that this is a revamped warmage, right? Nope! Instead, it's a revival of the swordmage, attempting to be more faithful to its unique 4e depiction as opposed to the older, Forgotten Realms-centric Bladesinger.
A battlemage starts at level 2, gaining a bonus proficiency (Martial Weapons) and the feature Imbue Mageblade. By spending an hour with a chosen martial melee weapon, the battlemage can forge a mystical link with it, creating an imbued mageblade (it doesn't have to be a slashing weapon, though). An imbued mageblade uses the battlemage's Intelligence modifier for attack and damage rolls, can be summoned to hand as a bonus action, functions as an Arcane Focus for spellcasting, and counts as a Magic Weapon for dealing with damage resistance/immunity. A battlemage can only have one mageblade at a time, but can freely trade out whenever they like by just performing the ritual with their new weapon of choice.
The Kinetic Shield feature lets a battlemage use their Reaction when struck by a weapon attack to reduce the damage they take by an amount equal to their Proficiency bonus; once invoked, the shield lasts until the end of the battlemage's next turn, and it blunts any attacks that hit the battlemage so long as it's active. This feature can be invoked a number of times per day equal to the battlemage's Intelligence modifier (minimum 1) and recharges on a long rest. The problem is that the splatbook screws up informing when you get this ability; the table of features-by-level says it's not gained until level 6, but the feature's writeup says you get it at level 2!
A definite level 6 feature is Spell and Blade, which lets a battlemage make a melee weapon attack as a bonus action after casting a cantrip.
Level 10 sees the battlemage gain the feature Kinetic Augmentation, which lets them spend a bonus action to make a Dash that doesn't provoke opportunity attacks the turn after their Kinetic Shield was activated.
Finally, at level 14, they gain the feature Kinetic Assault, which can be used once per day. Like Kinetic Augmentation, this feature can be used the turn after Kinetic Shield was activated (nothing explicitly prevents you from using them both!) - it lets the battlemage take a second action which can only be used to make an attack or cast a spell, and this explicitly can be used to cast two 1-action spells in a single round! This doesn't overlap with Action Surge (for battlemage/fighter multiclassed characters) or with any other ability that allows the battlemage to cast multiple spells in a single round.
School of Binding[edit]
As you can probably tell from the name of this one, it's an attempt to bring back the spirit of the binder. These specialist conjurers have unique subclass abilities that focus on their ability to summon forth a planar entity - an angel, guardinal, demon or devil - and physically bind it into their flesh in the form an enchanted tattoo.
The level 2 features for this subclass are Planar Contact (gain 2 languages of your choice from a list of Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal, Sylvan, and also gain Proficiency with Artisan's Tools: Tattooing Needles) and Align Contact. The latter is the central feature for the subclass, and allows the binder to meld a spiritual partner - either an Angel, a Demon, a Devil or a Guardinal - with their spirit by using the gylphs tattooed on their flesh as a focus, which they can do as part of completing a long rest (yes, this means the binder can swap between planar allies by taking a long rest). In addition to being a requisite for the higher leveled features, the planar contact gives the binder Advantage on any Intelligence checks relating to the contact's "meta-species", its home plane, and any other topic that the DM judges is reasonable for it to be relatively well-informed on.
At 6th level, the binder can invoke the Be My Guide feature once per day as a bonus action. Once invoked, this power lasts for a number of rounds equal to half the binder's Wizard level (minimum of 1), and grants a bonus based on which kind of planar being is bound to them:
- Angel: The binder sprouts glowing wings of light, gaining a Fly speed that is double their normal Movement speed and shedding light in a 40ft radius (20ft bright, then 20ft dim).
- Demon: The binder can use a bonus action after dealing damage with a spell to make a claw attack; this is a melee weapon attack that the binder has Proficiency in, which keys off of Intelligence, and does 2d6 damage. This attack can be used as part of the bonus action to invoke Be My Guide.
- Devil: When the binder casts a spell that has a duration on a creature, that creature becomes the target of ethereal imps, causing all attacks against the target to gain Advantage. With a multi-target spell, only one creature is affected, but the binder can change which creature is plagued by the imps at the start of each of the binder's turns.
- Guardinal: The binder gains Resistance to Lightning Damage, Immunity to Magical Sleep, and gains temporary HP equal to its Wizard level whenever it reduces a creature to 0 hit points whilst Be My Guide is invoked.
At 10th level, the binder can invoke the Guard My Back feature once per day as an action. Once invoked, this power lasts for a number of rounds equal to half the binder's Wizard level (minimum of 1), and grants a bonus based on which kind of planar being is bound to them, as well as granting the binder half cover due to the appearance of a ghostly fascimile of the binder's planar contact in an unoccupied space adjacent to the binder for the duration of this feature:
- Angel: The binder gains Advantage on saves against spells.
- Demon: The binder gains +1 AC and inflicts magical slashing damage equal to half its Wizard level on creatures that attack it.
- Devil: The binder is Resistant to damage caused by spells.
- Guardinal: Animals will not initiate combat with the binder (unless the binder attacks them first), the binder can Speak With Animals at will for the duration of this ability, and the binder regains 5 hp at the start of any turn in which the binder has less than half its hit point total remaining.
Finally, at 14th level, the binder can invoke the feature By My Side! once per day as an action. This most drastic power releases the binder's planar ally from its binding tattoo, summoning the creature to an unoccupied space within 30 feet designated by the binder. Obviously, using this feature means that the binder can't use Be My Guide or Guard My Back, if they haven't used those powers already! The precise creature summoned depends on the kind of planar ally that the binder had invoked; it acts on its own initiative and makes its own decisions (but considers the binder an ally), and it lasts for 10 minutes, or until the summoned creature reaches 0 hit points, or the binder uses an action to dismiss their ally. Once this power has been invoked, the planar ally is freed; the binder can't gain any of their subclass features until they complete a long rest and recreate their binding tattoo.
- Angel: Couatl
- Demon: Barlgura
- Devil: Barbed Devil
- Guardinal: Musteval
School of Dimensionalism[edit]
This the long-forgotten Dimensionalist brought back into 5th edition! These are specialist conjurers who focus on manipulation dimensional barriers and portals, rather than summoning monsters.
At level 2, the Dimensionalist gains Proficiency in Arcana, doubles their Proficiency bonus for Intelligence checks relating to the planes and other planar knowledge, and gets the feature Dimensional Pocket. This gives the wizard a personal Bag of Holding that nobody else can access, which contains an area of cubic feet equal to the wizard's Intelligence modifier. They can toss something into this pocket or withdraw it from the pocket as an action, and it can't be used to contain living creatures.
From level 6, once per short rest, the Dimensionalist can use an action to open a Dimensional Tear, flooding a 15ft cone with raw elemental energy that does their choice of either Cold, Fire, Lightning, Thunder, Necrotic, Poison or Radiant damage (1d6+the dimensionalist's Wizard level) to anything caught in the area of effect. Targeted creatures are allowed to make a Dexterity save against this effect, halving the damage taken on a successful save.
From level 10, the Dimensionalist can use the ability Dimensional Slip at will. This is done as a Move action, and lets the Dimensionalist phase partially out of reality before moving; they count as moving through difficult terrain, but whilst moving in this way, they ignore all non-solid obstacles, creatures and terrain features as well as not provoking opportunity attacks. Once the Move action ends, the Dimensionalist fully materializes back in reality.
Finally, at level 14, the Dimensionalist gains a Demiplane Refuge'; this is 20ft square cube demiplane whose gravity, lighting and atmosphere are controlled by the Dimensionalist, and which only they can access. They can enter or exit this demiplane as an action, and whilst they can't hide there forever (they still get hungry and thirsty), it can be use as a safe haven.
Elemental Traditions[edit]
Obviously, these are the elementalism subclasses; you couldn't expect a splatbook like this to lack something as obvious yet untapped as that! This book handles each form of elementalism as its own distinct subclass.
School of Aeromancy[edit]
This is the Air Elementalist, obviously. Aeromancers gain only four features:
- Adept of the Wind (2nd level): Free Proficiency in Acrobatics, +5 feet movement speed, treat the spells Wind Walk and Wind Wall as Wizard spells.
- Wind Lift (6th level): Gain Levitate as a bonus spell, and when casting Levitate, you can target a second target within 10 feet of the first target. Additionally, the Aeromancer gains Advantage on Concentration checks made to sustain Levitation so long as they're not levitating themselves.
- Breeze Walk (10th level): For 1 minute after casting any wind-based spell of 1st level or higher, the Aeromancer gains +10 feet movement speed, immunity to difficult terrain, immunity to falling damage, and immunity to being knocked prone.
- Wings of Wind (14th level): Twice per day, as a bonus action, the Aeromancer can sprout wings of cloud and wind that grant them a Fly speed of 40 feet for 1 hour or until dismissed as a bonus action.
School of Floralmancy[edit]
Naturally often confused with druids, floramancy wizards hearken to Chinese Elementalism, being the Wood Elementalist subclass.
At 2nd level, the Floramancer gains the features Nature Savant (free Proficiency in Nature, Advantage on Nature checks made to identify plants), and Nature Magic, which adds the following spells to the wizard spell list for them: barkskin, commune with nature, detect poison and disease, druidcraft, grasping vine, locate animals or plants, plant growth, protection from poison, speak with plants, spike growth, thornwhip, transport via plants, tree stride, and wall of thorns.
At 6th level, the Floramancer gains the Plant Camouflage feature, which is central to their further subclass features. This power can be used a number of times per day equal to the Floramancer's Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1), with all uses being recharged on a long rest. When triggered, the Floramancer sprouts various plant growths from their body, which lasts for 10 minutes and grants them Advantage on Stealth checks made to hide in, quote, "any natural terrain brimming with plantlife".
At 10th level, the Floramancer gains the Thorns feature, which upgrades Plant Camouflage by letting the wizard choose to manifest defensive thorns whilst transformed. If they do, then whenever the Floramancer is targeted by a melee attack, the attacker takes 2d6 Piercing damage, which counts as Magical for damage resistance/immunity purposes. This damage increases to 4d6 at level 14.
Finally, at 14th level, the Floramancer gains the Photosynthesis feature; when using Plant Camouflage, by spending 10 minutes or longer in direct sunlight, the Floramancer no longer requires food or drink for the day. Additionally, if they are reduced to zero hit points whilst both using Plant Camouflage and in direct sunlight, the Floramancer automatically stabilizes. Finally, once per day, whilst transformed and in direct sunlight, the Floramancer can heal 1d4 hit points per minute - if reduced to 0 HP whilst transformed and in direct sunlight, this ability automatically triggers if it hasn't already been used for the day.
School of Geomancy[edit]
As you can probably tell, this is the Earth Elementalist. Like the Aeromancer, it has only 4 subclass features:
- Geomancer's Knowledge (2nd level): When in rocky terrain, gain Advantage on Stealth checks and Concentration saves. Additionally, add bones of the earth, earthquake, magic stone, and meld into stone to the Wizard spell list.
- Stoneform (6th level): Twice per day, as an action, the Geomancer can enter stoneform. This state lasts for 1 hour, or until the Geomancer dismisses it as a bonus action, or the Geomancer is knocked unconscious, drops to zero hit points, or dies. In stoneform, the Geomancer gains +2 AC, Immunity to Poison damage, and Resistance to nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage, but they suffer Disadvantage on Dexterity saves and lower their movement speed by -10 feet.
- Protection of the Earth (10th level): After exiting stoneform due to either voluntarily dropping the form or time expiring, the Geomancer gains temporary hit points equal to their Wizard level + their Constitution modifier.
- Master Geomancer (14th level): The number of times per day that the Geomancer can use stoneform is increased to 2 + their Intelligence modifier (minimum 2+1 - aka, 3/day). They can also spend 2 uses of stoneform to instead transform into an Earth Elemental, using what is basically the Wild Shape rules from the 5e Druid.
School of Hydromancy[edit]
No prizes for guessing that this is the Water Elementalist, unfortunately. This one only has 4 subclass features too:
- Affinity for Water (2nd level): Gain a Swim speed of 30 feet and the ability to breathe both air and water.
- Liquefy (6th level): Once per short rest, as an action, a Hydromancer can touch a single non-magical inanimate object that weighs less than 30 pounds and fits into a 1ft cube and transform it into water.
- Geyser (10th level): Once per day, as an action, a Hydromancer can summon a 5ft-wide geyser of boiling hot water from any spot they choose within 60 feet. Any creature in the affected area when the geyser materializes takes 4d8 bludgeoning damage and is pushed 10 feet away from its center. A summoned geyser's area cannot be re-entered until it vanishes, along with any water created by it, within 2d4 hours of being summoned.
- Fountain of Youth (14th level): The Hydromancer becomes immune to aging and its penalties, as well as immune to poison damage, disease, and the Poisoned condition.
School of Pyromancy[edit]
Yes, this is the Fire Elementalist. Pat yourself on the back. Its the only official "Elementalist subclass" in the book that has two 2nd level features instead of one, apart from the Floramancer.
Those 2nd level features are Fire Savant (halve the time and cost to copy any fire, flame or heat-related spell into your spellbook) and Fireshaper (the pyromancer can manipulate any non-magical flame no larger than a 5ft cube within 60 feet as per the Control Flames cantrip, but this ability uses a bonus action and "is not considered a spell").
At level 6, the Pyromancer gains Heart of Fire, which gives them immunity to mundane flames and heat, including no longer suffering exhaustion from nonmagical heat, as well as Advantage on saves against magical fire and heat.
10th level brings the feature Heat Channeling, which can be used once per short rest. As a bonus action, the pyromancer can siphon in ambient heat (which extinguishes any natural flames within 10 feet) to empower their spellcasting, allowing them to add bonus damage equal to their Wizard level to any fire or heat based spell they use, presumably as part of that same turn, because the book doesn't clarify.
The pyromancer's ultimate (14th level) feature is Piercing Flames, which means they ignore Fire Resistance with their spells and their fire/heat spells can still inflict damage (albeit only equal to their Intelligence modifier) on creatures that have Fire Immunity.
School of Emomancy[edit]
No, this is not connected to bad 90s bardic traditions. Emomantics, as they call themselves, are a variant form of enchanter who specialize in using their magic to manipulate and control emotions in themselves and others. This one comes with an "authorial sidebar" noting that, despite having a better reputation than necromancers, enchanters are actually pretty damn creepy if not evil when you think about it.
Emomantics start by gaining free Expertise in Insight at 2nd level, along with the feature Sense Emotions. This feature can be used Intelligence modifier times per day (minimum 1), and it takes an action to activate it; once activated, the emomantic can sense all strong emotions within a 20ft radius until the end of their next turn.
Level 6 brings the emomantic Emotional Stability (Immunity to Fear, Advantage on saves vs. Charmed), whilst level 10 brings them the power to project Irresistible Emotions (once per short rest, the emomantic can designate a single creature to suffer Disadvantage on saves against any emotion-manipulating spell the emomantic casts on that creature).
Finally, at level 14, the emomantic gains the power of Emotion Overwhelming; they can broadcast a 30ft aura of intense positive or negative emotions as an action once per day, inflicting all creatures within the aura with either Advantage or Disadvantage on all saves and skill checks for 1 minute (in case it ain't obvious; positive emotions grant Advantage, and negative ones Disadvantage). Creatures that don't want to be affected by the aura can resist it with a Charisma save.
School of Ferromancy[edit]
Despite not being placed under the Elemental Traditions section for whatever reason, this is effectively the Metal Elementalist, with magic focusing on manipulating metal and magnetic fields.
At level 2, ferromancers gain Bonus Proficiencies (all metal weapons and metal armor, plus add Heat Metal to their spellbook for free - they can't cast it until they have level 2 spell slots, though) and Magnetic Ward. Once per day, as a reaction, the ferromancer can surround themselves with a magnetic forcefield for 1 minute, during which time they reduce all damage from weapon attacks by an amount equal to their Intelligence modifier (minimum 1, as usual) - if this somehow causes an attack to deal negative damage, you don't get healed, smartass, so don't even try to claim it. At 10th level, the ferromancer can use this ability once per short rest instead, which is a nice little upgrade.
At level 6, the ferromancer's Static feature causes any creature that fails a saving throw caused by one of the ferromancer's spells to build up an ambient static charge that lasts for a number of rounds equal to the ferromancer's Intelligence modifier (yeah, minimum of 1; you really had to ask?) - during this time, if the static-imbued creature gets within 5 feet of one or more creatures also affected by static, then all of the triggering creatures take 1d6 Lightning damage.
Level 10 brings the simplest of the ferromancer's features, Breach Armor, which gives them Advantage on weapon and spell attacks directed against creatures wearing metal armor or made of metal, like golems.
Finally, level 14 gives the ferromancer the ability to erect a Magnetic Field once per day as an action. The Magnetic Field is a 20ft aura centered on the ferromancer which lasts for 1 minute. Any creature that either enters the field for the first time or starts their turn there whilst wearing metal armor, wielding metal weapons, or just carrying at least 30lbs of metal, takes 1d6 Lightning damage - 2d6 if they're under the effects of Static - and treats the aura's area of effect as difficult terrain.
School of Fleuremancy[edit]
Arguably, this school is best summarized as the Light Elementalist; it's a wizard who focuses on mastering the powers and applications of radiant energy.
Fleurmancers get one of the most overloaded level 2 bonuses of any wizard subclass in 5e; free proficiency in Investigation and Perception, Light and Dancing Light as bonus cantrips known that don't count against the total amount of cantrips the wizard can know, and the feature Dazzling Display. This feature can be used once per short rest as part of casting any spell with a "visible effect", and it lets the fleurmancer designate the target (or one creature in the area of the effect); the designated target must succeed on a Constitution save against the fleurmancer's spell DC or be blinded until the end of their next turn. Creatures with Sunlight Sensitivity suffer Disadvantage on this save.
At level 6, they can use Displacement as a reaction to being attacked Intelligence modifier times per day (uses recharge on a long rest). The triggering attack, and any other attacks made against the fleurmancer that require visual targeting until the end of the fleurmancer's next turn, are made with Disadvantage. This is a visual illusion effect, so it has no effect on creatures that don't use vision to see (aka Blindsight) or which can see through illusion (Truesight).
At level 10, they can throw up a Prismatic Shield as a reaction to being targeted by a spell that has a saving throw once per day; this grants the fleurmancer Advantage on the save, and if the save is successful, the fluermancer both takes no damage from the spell (regardless of normal effects) and regains a charge for Displacement. This ability can be used on area-of-effect spells, but if so, only the fleurmancer benefits from the Advantage effect, not any allies.
Finally, they gain Intensity at level 14, which can be invoked once per day to impose Disadvantage on a creature's saving throw against a spell that involves light or color as prominent elements.
School of Golemancy[edit]
This is a wizard focused on the arts of crafting golems; it has no direct precedents amongst the "core eight" schools of magic, but is arguably closest in thematic elements to the necromancer.
At level 2, they gain the features The Basics of Crafting (free proficiency with Mason's, Smith's and Woodcarver's Tools, add Mending as an extra cantrip that doesn't use up your maximum cantrips list) and Prototype Golem. This is the core feature of the subclass; a personal pet in the form of... well, a golem, duh! This has some fairly complex rules, but what it boils down to is that the golem has a telepathic link to its creator, it acts on its own turn and initiative in combat, its stats scale with the golemancer's level, it can be healed with Mending, and if destroyed, it can be rebuilt by working on it over a long rest.
At level 6, Advanced Programming boosts the golem's armor and damage output, gives it Proficiency in Strength and Constitution saves, and gives it two skills of the golemancer's choice.
At level 10, Adaptable Build lets the golemancer install one of three advanced abilities in their golem as part of a long rest; it can only have one at a time, but it can swap them out as part of a long rest. These options are Hostility Confrontation Matrix (gain a Slam attack that is extra effective against inanimate objects), Arcane Hardened Chassis (damage resistance to non-magical weapons and to acid, cold, fire and lightning), and Prescient Defense Measures (so long as the golemancer is within 30 feet, they can transfer half their damage taken per attack to their golem and the golem can use its reaction to boost the golemancer's AC).
Finally, level 14 gives them Spell-Powered Golem, which lets them store a 4th level or lower spell in their golem, which can be activated whenever the golemancer decrees. Until it's activated, the golem gains magic resistance, its attacks count as magical, and it regenerates 5 HP a turn.
The Green Star Adept[edit]
A blast from the past, the Green Star Adept first appeared in the Complete Arcane as a gish-themed prestige class that slowly transformed the character into a living golem of luminescent green "star-metal". It was widely considered terrible. This subclass is basically a 5eification of that original prestige class, and preserves the original concept: you're a wizard who seeks to fundamentally empower yourself with magical energy by ingesting alchemical formulas based around the viridian-hued star-metal left behind by the Green Star of Alhazarde.
At level 2, the Green Star Adept first begins consuming their Green Star Admixture, which makes their unarmored AC equal 13 + Dexterity modifier and causes their unarmed attacks to deal 1d4 damage. This damage increases to 1d6 at 6th level, 1d8 at 10th level, and finally 1d10 at 18th level. They also gain the feature Star Expert at this level, which gives them Advantage on any Intelligence check relating to the sky, as well as the ability to cast Dim Light in a radius of 5 feet from the green crystal-like slivers of star-metal growing from their flesh.
At level 6, the advancing transmutation of their body gives them Jade Skin; they can now add their Intelligence modifier to Strength and Constitution saves, and get to make a Constitution save (DC equal to the modified damage) against critical hits; if successful, they downgrade the critical hit back to a normal hit.
By level 10, the transmutation of their body has turned them into a living Arcane Focus; they always count as having a spellcasting focus, and spells with a range of "melee" gain bonus damage equal to the Green Star Adept's unarmed attack damage. Also, once per short rest, they can cast a "self" targeting spell with a +1 spell slot level bonus - that is, they can cast, say, a level 3 spell with the potency of a level 4 spell without having to actually use a level 4 spell slot to do it.
Finally, by level 14, the Green Star Adept has attained Emerald Perfection, gaining a sizable list of golem-like powers: they no longer need to eat, drink, breathe or sleep, and are immune to poison damage, disease, and exhaustion. They're also impervious to the Deafened, Incapacitated, Petrified, Poisoned, Stunned and Unconscious conditions.
Guild Wizardry[edit]
As the name suggests, this is a more "generalist" wizard archetype, specifically focused on representing a wizard who belongs to an established wizard guild that has a sufficiently formal hierarchy to allow for beneficial studies and social connections.
A Guild Wizard gains 3 features at level 2; Guild Proficiency is simple and straightfoward - they gain Expertise in the Arcana skill. Battle Wizard's Grimoire can be used Intelligence modifier times per day (recharge on a long rest) to reroll spell damage dice up to the Guild Wizard's Intelligence modifier as a bonus action. Finally, the most complex feature is Arcanist's Privileges; the Guild Wizard can copy a bonus spell into their spellbook for half price whenever they gain new spells, and they gain a bonus to Charisma checks against other spellcasters equal to half their Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1)... but they are also expected to pay a monthly membership fee of 10 gold pieces and to spend at least 1 day per month in downtime assisting their guild in some way - if they fall behind on these, then they lose the benefits of this feature until they get back in good graces. At 14th level, the Guild Wizard no longer needs to spend this extra downtime or pay this fee, presumably because they're now a bigwig in the guild in some way or just have veteran's privileges.
6th level gives them the benefits of Signature Training; when the Guild Wizard uses their action to cast a 3rd level or higher spell prepared from their spellbook, they can use a bonus action to cause each creature in a 10ft cube around the Guild Wizard to be forced to pass a Wisdom save (DC = spell save DC) or be either Charmed or Frightened (Guild Wizard's choice) until the end of the Guild Wizard's next turn. This ability can be used once, and then recharges the next time that the the Guild Wizard makes an ability check for initiative.
10th level provides the Guild Wizard with its most complex feature; Spellpool. In short, as part of preparing their spells for the day, the Guild Wizard can perform a 1 minute ritual to attune a spellcasting focus to their guild's spellpool; they can have multiple "treated" foci at a time, but such a focus only works for the wizard who prepared it in the first place. Once they have an attuned focus, they can attempt to borrow spells from the spellpool, which requires an Arcana check (DC 20 + spell's level, +5 if the spell isn't on the Wizard's spell list) - this is made with Disadvantage if attempted on a plane where their guild doesn't have any local institutions! If successful, the wizard "trades" a spell of the same level or higher (which is placed into the spellpool in payment, which means that the Guild Wizard can't prepare that spell themselves) and adds that chosen spell to their spellbook, allowing them to prepare it for that day's assortment of spells - the next time that they take a long rest, the "borrowed" spell returns to its original owner and the traded spell given as payment comes back. There's no limit to how many spells a Guild Wizard can trade for at a time, but a separate Arcana check (and "payment" spell) is required for each one.
Finally, at level 14, they attain the coveted title of Master of Wizardy; when targeted by a "half-damage on successful save" spell, the Guild Wizard can use their Reaction to spend a 1st level or higher spell slot as part of their saving throw to completely nullify any damage they take - if they pass the save, that is! If the incoming spell was 5th level or lower, and the Guild Wizard successfully saves, they can bounce the spell right back at its original caster as part of the same Reaction. This feature can only be used once per day.
School of Hedge Magi[edit]
In comparison to the Guild Wizard, the Hedge Mage is a self-taught practitioner of the arcane arts who, in many ways, exemplifies the adventurer-wizard, with a focus on self-reliance and versatility.
At level 2, the Hedge Mage gains Favored Enemy (as per the Ranger) and Hedge Spellcasting, which has two methods of use. Hedge Defense lets the Hedge Mage spend a spell slot as a Reaction when they or an ally within 30 feet is targeted by a spell (the spent spell-slot has to equal the level of the incoming spell) to gain Advantage on the save. Hedge Offense lets the Hedge Mage burn an extra spell slot of the original spell's level when casting a spell on their enemies to impose Disadvantage on the save - when used on a spell that targets multiple creatures, the Hedge Mage can affect a number of targets equal to their Intelligence modifier.
At level 6, they gain Improved Arcane Recovery, which adds their Intelligence modifier to the number of spell slots regained when using Arcane Recovery.
At level 10, Intuitive Synergy means that the Hedge Mage and long-term allies (anybody who's been traveling with the Hedge Mage for at least a week) within 60 feet who are aware of the Hedge Mage can add the Hedge Mage's Intelligence modifier to their initiative rolls.
Finally, at level 14, they gain Hedge Reliability; when initiative is rolled, the Hedge Mage regains expended spell slots equal to their Intelligence modifier... but can only use these regained slots for their Hedge Spellcasting feature. Any remaining recovered slots are lost when the fight is over.
School of Incantation[edit]
This is another blast from the past, in the form of the Metamage - or, as it's known in the Forgotten Realms, the Incanter. This is a wizard focused on manipulating the raw magical potential in themselves and others, making them masters in augmenting and suppressing spells and a real nightmare for other wizards to face. Mechanically, this is actually quite simple, compared to its past incarnations.
The Incanter's 2nd level features are Spell Savant (gain Proficiency in Arcana, you can make a DC 10 + spell level Arcana check as a free action to identify a spell being cast) and Augment Magic (use a bonus action to bump up a spell's effective spell slot for free Int modifier times per day).
At level 6, Weavemaster lets the Incanter apply a free +1 spell slot level bonus to a casting of Dispel Magic or Counterspell once per shorto rest.
Level 10's Body to Mind lets the Incanter spend Hit Dice during a short rest to regain spell slots equal to the Hit Dice - for example, spend 3 HD and you can gain 1 3rd level slot, 3 1st level slots, or 1 1st and 1 2nd level slot.
Finally, level 14 gives them the Magic Resistance feature, which is simply Advantage on all saves against spells or other magic effects.
School of Jaunting[edit]
Self-admittedly described in the book as a strange blending of the "surface traditions" of the Dimensionalist, Chronomancy and the "Translocation" aspect of Conjuration, Jaunters are wizards specialized in manipulating space and time to unparalleled extents.
Yesterday's Preparations is the first of the Jaunter's 2nd level features, and lets them summon a single nonmagical item of their choice to hand for 1 minute.
Empowered Conjuration lets the Jaunter cast a conjuration spell with its base level spell slot, but gain a +1 slot level boost. This is their second 2nd level feature.
The 6th level Tesseract is the most complicated subclass feature that this class has. Using this feature lets the Jaunter designate two points that are both within 30 feet of the wizard; these points become the epicenters of 5ft squares in which space is twisted, so anything in one square is treated as being adjacent to the other. This can be used to move quickly between the two points or make attacks with increased coverage. The effect lasts until the end of the Jaunter's next turn, but they can spend an action each turn to sustain the effect.
10th level's Strange Eons lets the Jaunter change the duration of a non-instantaneous or Concentration spell being cast within their line of sight into a Concentration spell, which the original caster is responsible for sustaining.
Finally, 14th level's Master of Time and Space lets the Jaunter regain a spell slot that was used to cast a Conjuration spell with a Concentration duration if that spell expires due to reaching its maximum time instead of due to the Jaunter's Concentration being broken.
All of these features can be used a number of times per long rest equal to the Jaunter's Intelligence modifier, with a minimum of 1/day.
School of Kinetics[edit]
Overlapping to a degree with the psion, the Kineticist, as you can probably guess from the name, is focused on using magic to manipulate space and to move objects. Basically, this school specializes in telekinesis, teleportation and other forms of advanced movement alteration.
Their 2nd level features are Spell-Powered Avoidance (movement increases by +5 feet, casting a spell lets the wizard move 5 feet without provoking an opportunity attack as a reaction) and Stronghand Magic (gain a suped-up Mage Hand that can reach 60 feet and carry 20 pounds as an extra over-the-limit cantrip).
6th level brings with it Evasive Manuever, which lets the Kineticist cast Misty Step as a Reaction to being targeted by a spell attack or area of effect spell; a melee attack or touch spell misses automatically, whilst a ranged spell suffers Disadvantage on its attack roll, unless the caster chooses to switch to a different target, which they can do for free. This power can be used once per short rest.
At 10th level, the Kineticist gains Transportative Assault, which has two effects. Firstly, when the wizard casts Misty Step, they can also teleport one creature within 5 feet at the same time. Secondly, whenever the wizard teleports itself or another creature to within 5 feet of an enemy, the teleported creature can make a melee attack as a reaction.
Finally, the 14th level climax feature is Innate Transportation, which is actually a mess of smaller features all jammed together:
- The Kineticist's Mage Hand can now wield a single light melee weapon; it can be commanded to attack as a bonus action instead of moving it, and it has the same proficiencies, attack bonuses and damage bonuses as the Kineticist.
- The Kineticist's Mage Hand is transported with them whenever the Kineticist casts a teleportation spell.
- The Kineticist can cast Misty Step for free 2/day and Dimension Door for free 1/day.
School of Lunar Magi[edit]
Arguably a specialized splinter school of the Astromancer, the Lunar Mage is, as the name implies, a wizard who focuses on drawing magical energies directly from the moon.
The costs and benefits of this are spelled out with the 2nd level features; Radiance of the Night lets the Lunar Mage learn any spell that does Radiant damage, no matter what spell list it belongs to, as well as giving them the Sacred Flame cantrip for free. In comparison, Lunar Link ties the Lunar Mage's inherent magical strength directly to the moon; their spell save DC increases by +1 during the Full Moon, but is penalized by -1 during the New Moon - at all other times in the lunar cycle, it stays at its normal value.
6th level gives them the feature Moon Shadows, which can be used once per short rest. The description contradicts itself, first saying you need to be within 60 feet of a beam of moonlight to be able to use the feature, but then saying you can use it even during the day. What it does is let you create a kind of magical illusory field around either yourself (gain Advantage on a Stealth check) or around a small item or a single willing Medium-or-smaller creature (the target becomes semi-invisible; creatures must make a Wisdom save vs. your spell save DC to be able to see it).
10th level comes with Lunar Retribution, which can be used as a Reaction to being hit by a melee attack Int modifier times per day. When used, the assailant takes Psychic damage (1d8 + your Int modifier), which is doubled if the triggering hit was a critical hit.
Finally, the 14th level feature is quite simple; Radiant Mastery means that the Lunar Mage can reroll any damage dice for a Radiant-typed attack that do 1 or 2 points of damage, although the second result stands.
School of Mentalism[edit]
You might think that this is a psion using a wizard's chassis and... well, you're not exactly wrong, but in fact these sub-specialist enchanters are actually a real old-school wizard subclass from back in the days of AD&D. This version openly admits that it straddles the line between the wizard and the psion.
Mentalists gain a vastly increased affinity for mindfuckery magic. This is symbolized by their first 2nd level feature, Whisper Magic, which gives them Vicious Mockery as a free cantrip, halves the gold & time it takes to add spells that do Psychic damage to the spellbook, and lets them learn any spell from any spell list that does Psychic damage.
Their other 2nd level feature, Tendrils of Doubt, further showcases how good Mentalists are with fucking around with their enemies' minds; any creature that takes Psychic damage from a Mentalist suffers Disadvantage on attack rolls against both the Mentalist and one other creature of the Mentalist's choice until the start of the Mentalist's next turn.
At level 6, the Bond of the Mentalist gives the wizard telepathy with a range of 30 feet, with this range increasing by +30 feet at 11th and 17th levels.
Demoralizing Onslaught, the Mentalist's 10th level feature, lets them change the damage type of a spell into Psychic damage once per day.
Their final feature is 14th level's Guileful Retort, which lets the Mentalist use a Reaction when they take damage from an enemy attack to cast Vicious Mockery on the triggering enemy. This can be done Int modifier times per day.
School of Nethermancy[edit]
This is the iconic practitioner of Shadow Magic, brought forth into 5th edition at long last.
Like many wizard subclasses, one of the Nethermancer's 2nd level features tweaks the spells they can learn. Umbral Insights lets the Nethermancer halve the time and gold it normally requires to transcribe a spell into their spellbook if the spell in question does any of four things:
- Create magical darkness.
- Deal Necrotic damage.
- Teleport the caster.
- Conjures or summons creatures.
It also gives the Nethermancer darkvision 120 feet that works even in magical darkness as an added bonus.
The other 2nd level feature is Casting Shadows; when in dim light or darkness, the Nethermancer gains Advantage on Intimidation checks and doesn't need Verbal components for any Wizard spell of 5th or level.
6th level grants the feature Step into Darkness; this not only adds the spells Darkness and Misty Step to the Nethermancer's spellbook for free, but if the Nethermancer starts in an area of dim light or darkness and then Misty Steps to another area of dim light or darkness, they can both Hide as part of the same action and regain the spellslot they used to cast Misty Step. This can be done 3 times per short rest.
10th level's Unraveling Shadows empowers any spells that deal Necrotic or Psychic Damage, meaning that the Nethermancer can designate a single target when they cast spells that do those damage types; if the target has Damage Vulnerability to any damage type, it gains Damage Vulnerability to the triggering spell, but if they don't have that trait, then the spell simply does bonus damage equal to the Nethermancer's Intelligence modifier against that designated target.
Finally, at 14th level, the Nethermancer gains Conjured Gloom, which can be used to empower a Conjuration spell that summons or creates creatures in either or both of two ways. Firstly, the Nethermancer can cause the space in which each creature first appears to become heavily obscured by magical darkness until the end of the Nethermancer's next turn. Secondly, the Nethermancer can infuse the creature(s) with shadow energy; they gain +15 temporary HP, Advantage on Stealth checks, Darkvision +60 feet, and Sunlight Sensitivity.
School of Puppetry[edit]
This is a variant Golemancer (see above) who focuses on animating small but more versatile puppets to serve their will, rather than the more traditional big hulking golem.
Obviously, the 2nd level features for this subclass are what imbues the Puppeteer with their iconic puppets in the first place. Magic Marionettes lets the Puppeteer craft Small Constructs in the form of puppets during their downtime, which also gives them free proficiency with the Tinker's Tools; there are four different kinds of magic marionette, each of which requires a certain level before the Puppeteer can create them, as well as its own specific amount of time and money to build. The four types are Basic (2nd level, 2 hours, 50 GP), Swift (6th level, 2 hours, 100 GP), Sturdy (10th level, 4 hours, 250 GP) and Imbued (14th level, 4 hours, 500 GP). A damaged puppet can be restored as part of a rest, costing 1 copper piece per HP for a Basic, 5 silver pieces per HP for a Swift, 1 gold piece per HP for a Sturdy and 5 gold pieces per HP for an Imbued. A destroyed puppet can't be fixed, but the Puppeteer can salvage materials equal to half the puppet's original construction value from the wreckage to put towards building new puppets. In comparison, Magic Strings is the feature that lets the Puppeteer actually control its creatures; the wizard can project intangible and invisible (except to creatures with Blindsight) strings up to 30 feet, which can be used to link the Puppeteer and a puppet. Whilst linked, the Puppeteer can sense whatever the puppet senses, and can use their actions to control it: spend an Action to make the puppet Attack, Disengage, or Dodge; spend a Bonus Action to move the puppet, and spend a Reaction to let the puppet do... well, whatever a Reaction could be used to do.
Puppeteers actually gain a third level 2 feature; Spell Delivery lets the puppet act as the delivery point for spells of a certain level, based on the Puppeteer's own level; by default, they can only channel Cantrips for their wizardly master, but this improves to 1st level spells at 6th level, 3rd level or lower spells at 10th level, and 5th level or lower spells at 14th level.
At 6th level, the Puppeteer gains the Improved Strings feature; they can now control their puppet out to a distance of 40 feet, the puppet now has its own Move action, and the Puppeteer can spend their Bonus Action to make the puppet Attack, Disengage or Dodge, as well as their Action.
10th level brings the feature Cohesive Puppetry; the Puppeteer can now control their puppet out to a distance of 50 feet, and can cast 2 spells in a single turn once per day by using the Spell Delivery feature - that is, the second spell must be cast by the puppet, and so it's got to be of the appropriate level!
Finally, 14th level's Traverse the Strings not only increases the distance of the Magic Strings to 60 feet, but lets the Puppeteer spend an Action to switch places with a controlled puppet - in other words, the Puppeteer teleports to where the puppet was, and the puppet teleports to where the Puppeteer was. This can be done Intelligence modifier times per day.
School of Reanimation[edit]
The specialist necromancers are particularly focused on the idea of how necromancy can be used to restore life to the fallen, and thusly specialized in necromantic healing, lifeforce manipulation, and the creation of revenants, homunculi and flesh golems.
Its first 2nd level feature is Student of the Body, one of the most overloaded features in the splatbook; the Reanimator gains Spare the Dying, False Life and Find Familiar as bonus spells, can have familiars with the Construct type instead of the normal types, gains Proficiency in Alchemist's Supplies and Medicine, and doubles their Proficiency bonus in Medicine checks made on Beasts, Constructs, Humanoids or Undead.
The other 2nd level feature is Alchemical Vitalism; if the Reanimator has access to a vial of water and their alchemist's supplies, they can transform that vial into a curative admixture by spending a 1st level or higher spell slot in a process that takes 10 minutes. The Reanimator can produce up to 2 curative admixtures per "mixing session", but can only have two at a time - if they make a 3rd vial, the oldest vial reverts to plain water. The vials also lose their potency after 8 hours. A curative admixture is basically a homebrew potion of healing, and can be used either directly by a creature, or applied to a creature within 5 feet of whoever's carrying the admixture; this can be done as an action or a bonus action, but either way the target creature heals (2 X spell slot level) HP - they can also burn their Reaction to spend 1 Hit Dice for additional HP recovered.
6th level's Reanimated Servant is the most complex feature in the Reanimator's subclass! The nutshell version is that it lets the Reanimator take the corpse of a Large or Smaller Beast or Humanoid of Challenge Rating 2 or less and turn it into a Flesh Golem style bodyguard. The Reanimator can only have one such servant at a time, and if it's destroyed, the Reanimator can either replace it with a new one or patch it up (requires either a Revivify spell or spending a long rest working with alchemist's supplies to physically patch it up). Oh, the Reanimator also gains Animate Dead and Revivify as bonus spells when they gain this feature.
10th level's Energies of Life gives the Reanimator two more bonus spells (Modify Memory and Reincarnate) as well as upgrading their Alchemical Vitalism feature; they can now have 3 curative admixtures at once, and a creature that uses one of these admixtures gains both temporary HP equal to the Reanimator's Int modifier and a bonus to melee weapon damage rolls equal to their current temporary HP total.
The final feature, 14th level's Improved Servant, upgrades the stats of the Reanimated Servant in various ways, making it closer in potency to an actual Flesh Golem.
School of Runecraft[edit]
Rune magic has appeared in D&D more than once - just check out the Runemaster, Runecaster and the Runepriest. The Runecrafter differs from all of those in that it focuses on inscribing enchanted runes into their flesh as magical tattoos, scars or brands, giving them a number of unique innate magical abilities depending on which runes they choose to adorn themselves with.
This is hands-down the most complex subclass in the splatbook, because it revolves around the aforementioned runes, which each provide both a permanent passive effect on the Runecrafter and a unique ability when actively invoked.
At 2nd level, the Runecrafter gains the features The Basics of Runecraft (free proficiency with mason's tools and calligrapher's supplies) and Runic Tattoos; the Runecrafter chooses 3 runes, which are tattooed onto them. This means these runes are permanent; you can swap a rune out at levels 6, 10, and 14, but otherwise, you're stuck with them, so pick carefully! Tattooed runes grant the Runecrafter their associated permanent bonus, and can be "activated" as a Reaction to trigger their Activated bonus for 1 minute. A Runecrafter can Activate their runes only Intelligence modifier times per day.
At 6th level, the Runecrafter gains Runic Inscription. This gives them a 4th Runic Tattoo, and lets them create a Runic Marker once per day by spending 10 minutes to place it on a physical object or surface. The Runecrafter can activate the Runic Marker as an Action or Bonus Action, causing it to grant the chosen Rune's Active Bonus to all creatures within a 20ft sphere for 1 hour.
10th level's Runic Mastery lives up to its name; the Runecrafter gains a 5th Runic Tattoo, can activate them +1 time per day, and can share the benefits of an activated Runic Tattoo with a creature within 30 feet. Also, if they have activated a runic tattoo with an associated damage type, the Runecrafter can empower a single damaging spell or attack to deal bonus damage of that associated damage type equal to the Runecrafter's Wizard level to 1 target of the triggering attack - doing this requires spending one of the Runecrafter's daily "runic tattoo activations", however.
Finally, at 14th level, Runic Absorption gives the Runecrafter a 6th Runic Tattoo as well as a new special kind of rune tattoo; the Rune of Absorption. When the Runecrafter is targeted exclusively by a spell (so no area of effect spells!), they can spend one of their runic tattoo activations as a Reaction to try and absorb that spell. This will only work if the spell's level is equal to or less than 1/3r of the Runecrafter's Wizard level (rounding down). If this power works, the Rune of Absorption captures the spell, negating its effects and storing its energy within the rune; the Runecrafter can use an action to convert this stored energy into spell slots on a 1-for-1 level basis (so, if you absorb a 3rd level spell, you can convert it into a 3rd level spell slot, a 2nd and a 1st level spell slot, or 3 1st level spell slots). If you don't convert this energy, it dissipates harmlessly when you take a long rest.
School of Scrymancy[edit]
These are the self-described spies of wizardry, and more or less what you get when you blend a rogue and a diviner... only, y'know, without being a simple Arcane Trickster.
For its 2nd level features, the Scrymancer gains Eyes That See and Stealthy Casting. The former is fairly unimpressive; you just gain Faerie Fire as a bonus spell. But the latter is a lot meatier; proficiency in Stealth, the ability to make Stealth checks as part of casting a spell to keep all creatures with a passive Perception lower than your result from noticing that you cast anything, and the ability to cast non-damage-inflicting spells whilst invisible without breaking invisibility.
6th level's The Power of Sight is a weirder affair. When you use a Divination spell to, quote, "detect a creature you wouldn't otherwise be able to see or hear", you gain a glimpse into their mind; this gives you Advantage on Persuasion, Intimidation and Deception checks against that creature until you either target a new creature with a Divination spell in the same manner or 8 hours have passed.
10th level brings Your Sight is Mine; Intelligence modifier times per day, when a creature fails its save against a spell that you cast, you can burn a Bonus Action to force the creature to make a Constitution save or be Blinded for 1 minute... or until it passes one of its end-of-its-turn saves against the effect, whichever comes first.
Finally, the 14th level Scrymancer gains the featrue Eyes of the Magi; once per short rest, after casting a Divination spell, you gain Truesight 60 feet and Advantage on Perception checks for 1 minute. You can only give this bonus to another creature whilst it's active by touching that creature, but only one of you can benefit from it at a time.
School of Soulbinding[edit]
Arguably a specialist form of necromancer, the Soulbinder uses ritual magic to bind a portion of their own life force into chosen items, creating powerful arcane focuses that can also be used as separate wellsprings of vital energies - just the thing to make the Soulbinder a little bit harder to kill than the average wizard! Any resemblance to liches is, of course, 100% intentional, although the basic concept is pretty old.
Naturally, their foundation feature is 2nd level's Soulbond, which lets them create a Soulbound Object (Soul Object, for short). This has to be a non-magical inanimate object, and because the Soulbinder's various features generally require them to be in contact with it, it's probably best to choose something practical to carry or wield, like a ring, a bracelet or a necklace. A Soulbinder can only have one Soul Object at a time, and it requires a 24 hour long ritual to attune themselves to it; regardless of what the base object was, once it becomes Soulbound, it has an AC of 10 + the Soulbinder's Int modifier, a damage threshold equal to their Proficiency Bonus, and hit points equal to 1/2 the Soulbinder's HP maximum. It can only be damaged if targeted by an attack, damaging abilities, or spells... but if it does get damaged, the only way to fix it is for the Soulbinder to touch it and spend Hit Dice, just as if they were trying to heal up themselves, and if it's destroyed, the Soulbinder immediately gains 2 levels of Exhaustion... yes, this can kill them! If they survive its destruction, the Soulbinder can create a new Soul Object by performing the ritual again, and this is the only way to change what counts as their Soul Object. A Soulbinder treats their Soul Object as an Arcane Focus, and if somehow separated from it, can intuitively sense which direction it lies in and how far away it is, though nothing more specific than that.
Their other 2nd level feature is Damage Dispersion, which lets them push some or all of the damage from an attack to their Soul Object once per short rest.
Arcane Power Pool, gained at 6th level, lets the Soulbinder drain the hit points from their Soul Object to empower their spellcasting; spending Soul Object HP equal to the spell's level lets them impose Disadvantage on the save against that spell for 1 creature. The Soulbinder can extend this effect to penalize multiple creatures, if the spell targets multiple creatures, but the HP cost must be paid in full for each creature - so, if you want to use this feature on a 3rd level spell targeting 3 creatures, you need to spend 9 of the Soul Object's precious hit points to give Disadvantage on the save to all three of them.
Vitality Infusion, the 10th level feature, lets the Soulbinder drain HP from their Soul Object to heal themselves. In addition to restoring the Soulbinder's own hit points on a one-for-one basis, draining and spending 5 hit points from the Soul Object in one hit can be used to cure the Soulbinder of the Poisoned condition or any disease.
Finally, Life Surge causes the Soulbinder's Soul Object to shatter and pour its stockpiled life energy into the Soulbinder should the wizard die as a result of being reduced below 0 hit points and failing 3 death saving throws. Assuming that the Soulbinder survives the 2 levels of Exhaustion they gain from the Soul Object breaking, they are restored to life with hit points equal to those possessed by the Soul Object before it shattered.
Symbarch Teachings[edit]
The only tradition in this splatbook that's super-connected to the Forgotten Realms (albeit the Metamage debuted in an FR splatbook), this represents a wizard who practices the unique magical style/tradition passed down by the Simbul, the Witch-Queen of Aglarond and one of the Seven Sisters. The book also contains a page-long summary of the Simbul's history in the Forgotten Realms.
From 2nd level, a Simbarch (as these wizards are called) can use Minor Synosdweomer (as a bonus action, spend 1 Hit Die and a spell slot; you regain HP equal to the Hit Dice rolled + 2 X spell slot's level) once per short rest and Silver Fire (spend a bonus action when making a spell attack roll on your turn to gain Advantage on the roll; if the spell hits, the target takes extra damage equal to your Proficiency bonus from your spell attacks for the next minute; this effect ends if you are incapacitated, the target is killed, or you use this feature on a new target) a number of times per day equal to their Intelligence modifier.
From 6th level, Simbarches can craft a Spell Matrix by performing an hour-long ritual that requires an arcane focus and a diamond worth 300 gold pieces (which is consumed). The ritual transmutes the arcane focus into a "Matrix Focus", which has its all its old powers, plus some new ones: the simbarch can now perform a 10 minute ritual requiring the matrix focus to choose spells equal to or less than their proficiency bonus with a casting time of 1 action; by expending Hit Dice equal to the number of spells chosen, the chosen spells are imbued into the matrix focus. So long as the simbarch has the matrix focus to hand, they can expend 1 Hit Dice as a bonus action to cast one of the spells contained within the matrix. Spells remain bound up in the matrix focus until either the simbarch changes them out with a new attunement ritual, or they take a long rest, but the matrix focus remains permanently empowered.
10th level brings with it the power of the Major Synosdweomer, which can be invoked a number of times per day equal to the Simbarch's Intelligence modifier. This can be done as a bonus action when the simbarch uses their Action to cast a spell; the simbarch can then touch a creature and heal it (spell level)d4 hit points.
Finally, at 14th level, the simbarch learns how to transform into a Spellfire Tempest once per short rest. When this is done, the Simbarch gains Fly (40 feet) until the end of its next turn, is healed of one effect that could be cured by Greater Restoration, and if they inflict damage with a spell before the end of their next turn, the simbarch can reroll damage dice equal to their Intelligence modifier.
School of Voidmancy[edit]
Voidmancers are conjurers who focus on studying the dark void on the edge of reality from whence aberrations hail - essentially, the "safer" margins of the Far Realm - and who learn to gain heightened mental power from doing so without going nuts in the process.
Voidmancers start with a nameless 2nd level feature that gives them free Proficiency in Arcana, doubles their Proficiency bonus on Arcana checks relating to Aberrations, and lets them learn the spells Armor of Agathys, Arms of Hadar, and Hunger of Hadar. They also gain the 2nd level feature Whispers from the Void, which can be invoked Intelligence modifier times per day to gain a +2d4 to the results of a Skill check.
6th level gives them the feature Mental Discipline and Fortitude, which lets them reroll a failed Wisdom or Charisma save once per day (2/day from 10th level, 3/day from 14th level).
10th level gives them the Secrets of the Void, which lets the Voidmancer alter the range or area of effect of a spell by +/-50% (their choice) once per day. Obviously, this doesn't work on spells with a range of Self or Touch.
Finally, the aptly named Screaming into the Void is their 14th level subclass capstone feature; Resistance to Psychic damage and Immunity to the Stunned condition.