Part 4: Classes ☰
Arcanists' power is external and revolves (mostly) around bending raw Aetherial energy to their will. What this means is that for the most part, Arcanists' spells and powers are not elementally aligned, dealing true damage instead of a specific damage type like freeze, burn, or rot.
All Arcanists derive their power from the raw, natural Aetherial energies of the universe, but how they are able to manipulate that energy comes from one of three sources: the first is by the intense and rigorous study of Aether, how it is entwined with the universe, and more importantly, how it can be manipulated; the second is by placing their immense faith in a greater being, such as a god, and allowing themselves to serve as a conduit for that being's power; the third and last is by borrowing (typically via a contract or bargain, but occasionally by other means) the power of another, much more powerful entity, who typically allows the Arcanist to use their power in exchange for something.
| Level | Arcane Power Proficiency |
Features | Mana | Spells Known |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1 | Arcane Origin, Arcane Power, Mana, Origin Ability Spells Known |
5 | 4 |
| 2nd | 1 | Ability Score Improvement (ASI), Arcane Augmentation |
10 | 5 |
| 3rd | 2 | -- | 15 | 6 |
| 4th | 2 | ASI, Classless Feat | 20 | 8 |
| 5th | 3 | -- | 25 | 10 |
| 6th | 3 | ASI, Origin Ability | 30 | 12 |
| 7th | 3 | -- | 35 | 14 |
| 8th | 3 | ASI, Classless Feat | 40 | 16 |
| 9th | 4 | Arcane Augmentation | 45 | 18 |
| 10th | 4 | ASI | 50 | 20 |
| 11th | 4 | -- | 55 | 21 |
| 12th | 4 | ASI, Classless Feat | 60 | 22 |
| 13th | 5 | Origin Ability | 65 | 23 |
| 14th | 5 | ASI | 70 | 24 |
| 15th | 5 | Arcane Augmentation | 75 | 25 |
| 16th | 5 | ASI, Classless Feat | 80 | 26 |
| 17th | 6 | -- | 85 | 27 |
| 18th | 6 | ASI, Origin Ability | 90 | 28 |
| 19th | 6 | Classless Feat | 95 | 29 |
| 20th | 6 | ASI, Ultimate Arcane Power | 100 | 30 |
As an Arcanist you gain the following class features:
Health at 1st Level: 6 + your CON score
Health Beyond 1st Level: 1d6 (or 4) + your CON score per Arcanist level after 1st
Skills at 1st Level:
Skills Beyond 1st Level: You gain 1 SP every time you level up.
At Level 1, select one of the following sources for your arcane power: Bargain, Faith, or Study. Your choice will not only determine which Origin Abilities you gain at this level and levels 6, 13, and 18, as shown in the Arcanist class table, but also partially determines your Spellcasting Ability: Bargain Arcanists can use INT or CHA for their powers, Faith Arcanists can use WIS or CHA, and Study Arcanists must use INT.
Also at 1st level, you gain access to a special, unique Weapon Skill called Arcane Power; your proficiency in this skill starts at 1, but grows as you gain Arcanist levels, as shown in the Arcanist class table. Your proficiency in this skill reflects your ability to cast spells and bend the arcane forces of the world to your will. The base damage of Arcane Power is a d6, so when a spell you cast deals damage, it will use a number of d6s equal to your Arcane Power proficiency for its damage, unless you expend extra Mana to increase the damage of the spell via its available Modifications, as explained in Spellcasting.
Several spells and other features cause the target(s) to make a save against them or be effected by one or more conditions, such as getting pushed, keeping their thoughts shielded, retaining control of their body, or something else entirely. The DR for these saves is referred to as your Arcane Save DR (ASDR), and is determined as follows:
Arcane Save DR: 10 + your INT, WIS, or CHA score + your Arcane Power proficiency + your Arcanist level. The threshold for getting a Partial Success against your ASDR is just it minus your Arcane Power proficiency, so for example if your ASDR at Level 1 is 16, the threshold for getting a Partial Success against it would be 15.
Mana is a numeric representation of an Arcanist’s mental fortitude, their remaining strength and will to wield the Arcane Power at their disposal. It determines how much you can use your Arcane Power before needing to rest and what spells you are able to learn, as you can only learn spells with a Mana Cost < your maximum Mana. If the Mana Cost of a spell that you're trying to cast is > your remaining Mana, you can still cast it, however your Mana will be reduced to 0 and your Health will be reduced by twice the remaining difference; for example, if you attempt to cast a spell with a Mana Cost of 10 while you have 6 Mana remaining, your Mana will be reduced to 0 and you will lose 8 Health.
Your primary method of regaining Mana is resting: a night's or day's rest will restore your Mana to full, while during a quick rest, you can roll a number of d6s up to half your Arcanist level (rounded up) and have your Mana replenished by the total amount. Alternatively, Mana Potions restore Mana similar to how Health Potions restore Health.
At first level, as well as levels 6, 13, and 18, the origin that you chose for your Arcane Power grants you certain abilities. You have a number of uses for these abilities equal to your Arcane Power proficiency; you regain all expended uses over the course of a day's rest and a single use upon completion of a night's rest. You can use only one ability at a time unless an ability directly states that it modifies another.
Level 1: Empowered Spell. Upon using this ability, the target of the spell you are currently casting either takes the maximum possible damage of the spell or gains double disadvantage against the save required by the spell.
Level 6: Spell Steal. When you perceive a spell being cast that has a Mana Cost < your Maximum Mana, you can use this ability and, for the next minute, are able to cast the spell you perceived once without expending Mana.
Level 13: Arcane Recharge. Once per night's rest, you can use this ability to regain an amount of Mana equal to your Arcanist level.
Level 18: Manifest Patron. Once per day's rest, this ability allows you manifest the raw eldritch power of your patron, dealing one of the following effects to a creature that you can perceive: 10d10 true damage, 12d12 psychic damage, the target becomes frightened of you for the next 24 hours, the target becomes stunned for the next minute, or the target gains a madness for the next 6 days. Additional effects can be applied at the time this ability is used at the cost of one Origin Ability use per effect.
Level 1: Arcane Smite. When you use this ability, roll a number of d6s equal to your Arcane Power proficiency and add the result as true damage to an attack you are currently making. At level 20, roll d8s instead.
Level 6: Arcane Sanctuary. This ability allows you to select a number of creatures up to your WIS score (rounded down) that you can perceive and either a) protect them completely from a spell you are currently casting or b) use your reaction to grant those creatures resistance to a spell that is currently being cast by another creature, halving the damage against them and/or granting them advantage on any save(s) directly required by the spell.
Level 13: Divine Intervention. Once per night's rest, you can use this ability to beseech the recipient of your faith for aid; this has a % chance to work equivalent to your Arcanist level. On a successful attempt, this ability cannot be used again for 6 days. What you can request for aid is largely up to your GM, but some examples include: restoring you and all your allies to full Health and class resources, as if having finished a day's rest; striking down several lesser foes or one greater foe; restoring a dead creature to life; being gifted a material object that you have need of; or some other boon that is, again, ultimately up to the discretion of your GM.
Level 18: Miracle. This ability guarantees the success of your Divine Intervention ability.
Level 1: Arcane Research & Grimoire. Unlike the other Origins, you keep your knowledge of the arcane in a special book of spells known as a "Grimoire". This grimoire contains your collected knowledge of each of your Origin Abilities and spells, and if you are separated from it or it is destroyed, you can continue to use each of those features for a number of days equal to your Arcane Power proficiency until your grimoire is regained or replaced. Creating a new grimoire can be done over a number of day's rests equal to your Arcane Power proficiency.
In addition to your grimoire, you also gain the ability to perform Arcane Research, which allows to do one of the following once per Arcanist level: a) You can spend 3 day's rests researching and discovering a new spell to add to your grimoire - this research does not need to be done on consecutive days and can be split apart as needed; b) You can spend 1 day's rest copying a spell from another source, such as a scroll or another grimoire, into your grimoire. Each of these options will increase the number of spells you know by 1. You can wait to perform either of these options for as long as you would like, including up to and past any subsequent levels you gain in this or other classes.
Level 6: Quickened Spell. Using this ability allows you to reduce the casting time of a spell you are currently casting by 1/6th (to a minimum casting time of .5 seconds).
Level 13: Subtle Spell. When you use this ability, you can cast a single spell without needing to speak or gesticulate.
Level 18: Perfect Spell. This ability allows you to cast a single spell without modifications instantaneously without the need to speak or gesticulate, and any damage or healing dealt by the spell is maximized.
Finally, at 1st level you know 4 spells from the Arcanist Spell list that have a Mana Cost >0 and <5, or your Maximum Mana; you will learn more spells as you gain levels in this class, as shown in Arcanist class table.
0-Mana Spells. In addition to the above 4 spells, you also learn a number of spells with a Mana Cost of 0 equal to your spellcasting ability score rounded down to the nearest whole; so if your spellcasting ability score was 4.5, you would know 4 0-Mana spells. If your spellcasting ability ever increases to a whole number, you learn another 0-Mana spell.
Every even-numbered Arcanist level, you can increase one of your Ability Scores by .5. You cannot increase an ability score beyond 5 via this feature.
At levels 2, 9, and 15, you can select a singular Arcane Augmentation, which is a special ability that will permanently augment your arcane prowess in some way. You can select each Augmentation only once unless it explicitly says otherwise.
Arcane Aegis. With this Augmentation, you permanently gain the effects of the Arcane Armor spell.
Arcane Focus. Select an instrument or weapon with which you have proficiency or a wand. This instrument, weapon, or wand is now your Arcane Focus, and when casting spells through it, you can add your Arcane Power proficiency to the damage of your spells and your ASDR increases by your Arcane Power proficiency. In the case of using an instrument, you can additionally use the sounds of the instrument in lieu of speaking the words of the spell.
Concentrated Caster. This Augmentation grants you advantage on maintaining concentration on your spells.
Elementalist. Select a single element (Neutral, Light, Dark, Soul, Space, Time, Magic) or pseudo-element (Decay, Lightning, Memory, Prophecy, Twilight, or Water): spells belonging to that (pseudo-)element cost 1 less Mana to cast for you, unless they already cost 1 Mana, and modifications to a spell that would alter its elemental affinity to your chosen (pseudo-)element also cost 1 less Mana. This Augmentation can be selected multiple times, but each (pseudo-)element can only be selected once. If this feature applies to both of the elements that make up a pseudo-element, then this feature applies to that pseudo-element as well.
Familiar. Select a Medium or smaller Beast, Fae, or Undead that has <10 average Health; you gain a familiar that takes the form, stats, and abilities of this creature. Additionally, this familiar can be summoned to you over the course of 3 seconds (independent of your DEX), the two of you can communicate telepathically whilst on the same plane of existence, and you can see/hear through your familiar's eyes/ears while within 100 meters of it. Lastly, if your familiar dies, you must wait a full 24 hours before you can summon it again.
War Caster. With this Augmentation, you no longer provoke Attacks of Opportunity when casting non-Touch/Self spells in melee range.
Wild Arcana. Upon selecting this Augmentation, your spells gain a permanent 5% chance to misfire on every casting. This chance cumulates with other sources of misfire potential. This Augmentation can be selected multiple times.
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can learn a classless feat.
At 20th level, your Arcane Power is unmatched amongst Sentient kind. Upon reaching this level, the base damage of your spells increases to the next highest magnitude of die (maximum d12), night's rests restore 2 uses of your Origin Abilities, and after each day's rest, the first spell you cast with a non-0 Mana Cost has its Mana Cost reduced by 10 (minimum 0).