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.
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) lets a transmuter turn into a Challenge Rating 1 or weaker Beast type creature whenever they want, plus they gain the Polymorph spell for free. 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.