Transmuter
A Transmuter is a form of Specialist Wizard in Dungeons & Dragons. These guys specialize in the school of Transmutation, the magical altering of physical substances and general shapeshifting shenanigans. Weirdly, when they were introduced, their speciality school was called Alteration, though a specialist in the school was still called a Transmuter; it wasn't until 3rd edition that the school name was changed.
2e Mechanics
- Base Class: Wizard
- Ability Score Requirements: Intelligence 9, 15 Dexterity
- Racial Restriction: Human, Half-Elf
- Special Benefits:
- +1 spell slot per spell level, which must be used to memorize a Transmutation spell.
- +1 bonus to saving throws against Transmutation spells.
- Enemies targeted by your Transmutation spells suffer a -1 penalty to their saving throws.
- When you reach a new spell level, you automatically learn 1 Transmutation spell.
- When trying to invent a new Transmutation spell, you treat its spell level as being -1 from its actual spell level for the difficulty.
- +15% bonus to chance to learn a Transmutation spell.
- Special Drawbacks:
- Opposition Schools: You cannot learn spells from the Abjuration or Necromancy schools, nor can you use magic items based on these schools.
- You suffer a -15% penalty to your chance to learn non-Transmutation spells.
Third Edition
5th Edition's Arcane Tradition
Transmuters have a lot of fairly fluffy traits. Minor Alchemy (level 2) lets them temporarily transmuted a sample of of wood, stone, iron, copper or silver into one of the other elements on that little list. Transmuter's Stone (level 6) lets them spend 8 hours to create a magical stone. Whoever holds it gains a bonus chosen by the transmuter when making it; darkvision, +10 to speed whilst unencumbered, proficiency in Constitution saving throws, or resistance to one of five elemental damages (fire, ice, acid, lightning, thunder). Shapechanger (level 10) gives them the Polymorph spell for free, and once per short rest they can cast it on themselves to turn into a CR 1 beast without expending a spell slot. Finally, at level 14, Master Transmuter allows them to destroy a created Transmuter's Stone to enact one of the following effects: transform one object into another object, completely heal (restore to full health + remove all curses, diseases and poisons) one creature, cast a free Raise Dead spell, or decrease a target's apparent age by 3D10 years.