Anti-Mage (5e Class)

Anti-Mage

Her frail frame seems like a lie, as she rushes out of the flames around her. She hits the warrior with a bare fist, as a large impression is made in their chest plate and the warrior is thrown back with the weight of the strike. Multiple missiles of magic strike her from further away, but she smiles and seems to appreciate the attack.

She is an anti-mage, a warrior with the ability to absorb magic, using the power of spellcasters as a fuel to their own destruction. Anti-mages can use arcane power to increase the power in their muscles, the quickness in which they are able to think, and as a shield against magical effects.

Created by Magic, to Destroy Magic

Anti-mages are created trough magical rituals, that turns their bodies into batteries of arcane potential. Their bodies are covered in magical runes and glyphs, that represent the schools of magic, that serve as siphons for the magical energy. This energy is filtered, becoming useless for spellcasting, but becomes a source of strength and ability enhancement. As they are filled with magic, they become more and more sensitive to magical energy around them, turning them relentless hunters of mages.

It is hard to track the exact origin and purpose of anti-mages. Some say they have been created by ancient wizard orders, in a time when wizards constantly fought and compete with each other, to steal arcane secrets or magical artifacts. Anti-mages purpose were, at that time, to act as protectors of their mage creators, and hunters off their rivals. Since their creation, however, the method in which anti-mages are created have been discovered by other orders. Some inquisitors use this power to hunt evil spellcasters - or any spellcaster that pose a threat to them.

Creating an Anti-Mage

As you make your Anti-Mage character, think about your connection with magic, how you became an Anti-Mage. Were you a sorcerer that had a weird reaction to being bitten by a vampire? Was a wizard performing experiments on city children, and you were one of the children?

Consider life after becoming a Anti-Mage. Did you find anyone understanding or supportive after you started showing the first signs of becoming an Anti-Mage? Did you need to gain the services of less than savory guilds or groups just to survive?

Lastly, think about your goal. Is it a curse for you that you are trying to undo? Are you trying to lean into these odd powers, and find the secrets they may hold? Either way, an Anti-Mage is usually chaotic in alignment.

Quick Build

You can make an Anti-Mage quickly by following these suggestions. First, Constitution should be your highest ability score, followed by Strength. Second, choose the Hermit background.

Class Features

As a Anti-Mage you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d12 per Anti-Mage level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + Constitution modifier per Anti-Mage level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: All Armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, Martial Weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Constitution, Charisma
Skills: Choose two from Arcane, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Perception, Survival

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) 2 martial weapons or (c) 2 simple weapons
• an explorer's pack
• (a) Leather armor or (b) Chain Mail or (c) Scale Mail
• (a) 4 javelins or (b) 2 handaxes
• If you are using starting wealth, you have 10gp in funds.

Table: The Anti-Mage

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Brawl
1st	+2	Fighting Style, Arcane Absorption, Brawl	1d4
2nd	+2	Mana Augmentation, Arcane Sight	1d4
3rd	+2	Methodology, Shape Magic	1d4
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	1d4
5th	+3	Extra Attack, Arcane Enhanced Strikes	1d6
6th	+3	Magical Resistance, Methodology Feature	1d6
7th	+3	Impervious, Cleansing	1d6
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	1d6
9th	+4	Mage Slayer Rush	1d6
10th	+4	Expanded Protection	1d6
11th	+4	Methodology Feature	1d8
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	1d8
13th	+5	Magic-User's Nemesis	1d8
14th	+5	Mana Burn	1d8
15th	+5	Persistent Augmentation	1d8
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	1d8
17th	+6	Methodology Feature	1d10
18th	+6	Anti-Mage Counter	1d10
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	1d10
20th	+6	Arcane Blood	1d10

Fighting Style

You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

• Archery. You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

• Blind Fighting. You have blindsight with a range of 10 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn't behind total cover, even if you're blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you.

• Defense. While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

• Dueling. When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

• Great Weapon Fighting. When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

• Interception. When a creature you can see hits a target, other than you, within 5 feet of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a simple or martial weapon to use this reaction.

• Protection. When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

• Superior Technique. You learn one maneuver of your choice from among those available to the Battle Master archetype. If a maneuver you use requires your target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver's effects, the saving throw DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice.)

You gain one superiority die, which is a d6 (this die is added to any superiority dice you have from another source). This die is used to fuel your maneuvers. A superiority die is expended when you use it. You regain your expended superiority dice when you finish a short or long rest.

• Thrown Weapon Fighting. You can draw a weapon that has the thrown property as part of the attack you make with the weapon.

In addition, when you hit with a ranged attack using a thrown weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.

• Two-Weapon Fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

• Close Quarters Shooter (UA). When making a ranged attack while you are within 5 feet of a hostile creature, you do not have disadvantage on the attack roll. Your ranged attacks ignore half cover and three-quarters cover against targets within 30 feet of you. You have a +1 bonus to attack rolls on ranged attacks.

• Mariner (UA). As long as you are not wearing heavy armor or using a shield, you have a swimming speed and a climbing speed equal to your normal speed, and you gain a +1 bonus to armor class.

• Tunnel Fighter (UA). As a bonus action, you can enter a defensive stance that lasts until the start of your next turn. While in your defensive stance, you can make opportunity attacks without using your reaction, and you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against a creature that moves more than 5 feet while within your reach.

Brawl

Starting at 1st level, you are strong both in your mind and body, enabling for you to make powerful strikes with purely your fists alone. Your unarmed strikes deal d4 + Strength modifier and increases as it shows on the brawl table above.

Arcane Absorption

Starting at 1st level, you can use the arcane power hurled at you to empower your own body. When you make a saving throw against a spell of 1st-level or higher, or are target of one, you gain 1 arcane point, plus 1 per level of the spell. The maximum amount of arcane points you have equal to your level in this class.

You lose any unspent arcane points when you finish a long rest. In addition, if you have at least 1 arcane point, you can spend 1 hit die, instead of 1 arcane point, to fuel features that require arcane points.

You can use the arcane points to enhance your abilities. You have three such abilities: Body Acceleration, Mind Acceleration or Spell Resilience, shown below.

Body Acceleration

You can spend 1 arcane point to take the Dash, Dodge or Disengage actions as a bonus action. Alternatively, you can make an unarmed strike using your bonus action by spending 1 point.

Magical Ward

You can spend 1 arcane point to reroll a failed saving throw against a spell, you must choose the second roll.

Spell Resilience

You can spend 1 arcane point to give yourself advantage on a saving throw against the effect of a spell, as a reaction.

Arcane Augmentation

At 2nd level, you can use the arcane power infused in your body, improve your strength and endurance for a short period of time, to a great degree. As a bonus action, you can spend 1 arcane point to gain the following benefits for 1 minute:

• You have advantage on Dexterity and Wisdom saving throws.

• You reduce the damage of spells by an amount equal to half your level.

• You have advantage on saving throws against spells.

• You cause additional damage equal to the amount of arcane points you currently have.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain your uses of it after completing a long rest.

Arcane Sight

Also at 2nd level, you have the ability to sense magical auras, as in the detect magic spell, that you can manifest in the following: a 30-foot cone; a 15-foot radius sphere; or a 60-foot long and 5-foot wide line. You can activate your Arcane Sight as an action, and, when active, it lasts for 10 minutes. In addition to magical auras, when used to look at a creature, you learn if the creature is capable of casting spells. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum once). Once you spend all your uses, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Shape Magic

At 3rd level, when you are in the area of a spell that causes damage, you can choose a number of creatures in the area up to your proficiency bonus, spending 1 arcane point per chosen creature, using your reaction. The chosen creatures gain resistance to that instance of damage of that spell.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack

Starting at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Arcane Enhanced Strike

At 5th level, you can use your arcane points to enhance your unarmed strikes, channeling through your fists. When you hit a creature with an Unarmed Strike, you can spend 1 arcane point to deal additional damage to the target. The bonus damage is 1d6 for 1 arcane point, plus 1d6 per additional arcane point spent after the first arcane point, to a maximum of 5d6. The damage die of this ability increases with your Brawl table.

Magical Resistance

At 6th level, you add your Charisma modifier to any saving throw you make. You also take half damage from any magical attacks.

Impervious

Starting at 7th level, your body is extremely enduring to magical effects. When you make a saving throw against a spell effect that allows a saving throw to halve the damage, you take no damage on a success.

Cleansing

Also at 7th level, you can take a time to focus your body and rid yourself from magical effects. Whenever you are under the effects of a spell, you can use your Action to end that spell on you. This effect still applies even if the spell effect prevents you from taking any actions.

Mage Slayer Rush

Starting at 9th level, when you move up towards an hostile spellcaster, you can make a unarmed strike as a bonus action. On a hit, you can use arcane power disrupts the fabric of essence around the spellcaster, preventing it casting spells of 1st-level or higher on its next turn.

Expanded Protection

At 10th level, creatures within 20ft of your choice adds your charisma modifier to the saving throw against spells.

Magic-User's Nemesis

At 13th level, you gain the ability to thwart someone else's magic. When you see a creature casting a spell or teleporting within 60 feet of you, you can use your reaction to try to magically foil it. The creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC, or its spell or teleport fails and is wasted.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Mana Burn

At 14th level, you learn how to supercharge the arcane energy inside someone. When you hit a creature that has the ability to cast spells with a melee weapon attack, you can force the creature to make a Constitution saving throw, with a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity bonus. On a failure, the creature will lose its highest level spell slot. In addition, the creature takes additional damage equal to 1d8, plus 1d8 for each level of the spell slot, to a maximum of 5d8. The damage is force. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum once). Once you spend all your uses, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Persistent Augmentation

Beginning at 15th level, your ability to store arcane power is so efficient that your augmentation only ends early if you fall unconscious or if you choose to end it.

Anti-Mage Counter

At 18th level, you gain the ability to counterattack when a spellcaster tries to cast a spell nearby. If hostile spellcaster within 30 feet cast a spell, you can use your reaction to move to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of it make one melee weapon attack or unarmed strike against the creature, if within reach. You make this attack immediately before making the saving throw. If the attack hits, your save automatically succeeds, in addition to the attack’s normal effects.

Arcane Blood

At 20th level, your body becomes a infused by all the arcane magic you have endured, and can now produce arcane power. When you start your turn and have no arcane points, you regain 1 arcane point.

Methods

Method of the Cloak

Anti-mages from the cloak method gain this moniker as a reference to the wizards that have first created them. These anti-mages have the most amount of control over the magic they absorb, and can even produce some lesser magical effects, to some extent, trough the magical glyphs carved on their bodies.

Spell Augmentation Glyphs

Starting at 3rd level, whenever you absorb arcane power, record the spell school from the level cast by you, and the points gained from that school. You have glyphs of two schools tattooed on your, and gain a new one at 6th, 11th and 17th levels.

When a power of your spell augmentation glyphs require a saving throw, the save DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier. When you use your Arcane Augmentation, you gain additional special powers depending on the source of the spell points:

Abjuration. While augmented, you and all friendly creatures within 10 feet gain half cover against creatures outside this radius.

Conjuration. You can use your bonus action to teleport to an unoccupied space you can see within 20 feet.

Divination. You gain blindsight up to a range of 30 feet. In addition, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on attacks made against you, as you foresee the attack.

Enchantment. As a bonus action, you can attempt to inspire awe or fear on a creature. A creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or is either charmed or frightened for the duration of the augmentation, or until you use this bonus action again.

Evocation. You can use your Action to unleash arcane energy in a 10-foot radius or a 15-foot cone, forcing creatures in the area to make a Strength saving throw, or take 2d8 force damage and be pushed 10 feet back.

Illusion. When you augment yourself and as a bonus action in each subsequent turn you can create a illusory copy of you in an unoccupied space within 30 feet. You can make attacks from your copy space, causing psychic damage, instead of normal damage, on a hit. In addition, while the copy is within 5 feet of you, if you are hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to cause the attack to hit the copy instead. The copy has an AC of 10 and 1 hit point.

You can have only one copy at the same time. Creating another destroy the previous one.

Necromancy. Once per turn, when you damage a creature with an attack, you can choose to cause necrotic damage. You regain hit points equal to half the necrotic damage caused.

Transmutation. You can quickly morph and adapt your body to resist damage. When you augment yourself and as a bonus action in each subsequent turn, choose one damage type. You gain resistance to damage type until the start of your next turn.

Limited Magic

At 6th level, you gain the ability to cast some of the spells that have been absorbed by you. When you absorb a spell from a school you have a tattooed glyph, you can store that spell on your body. The spell must be of 2nd-level or 1st-level.

You can cast that spell a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain your uses after completing a long rest. You lose the ability to cast that spell upon completing a long rest.

Magic Capture

At 11th level, you can use your limited magical potential to steal magic before it is even cast. You can cast counterspell once, without spending spell slots. When you do so successfully, you gain arcane points as if you had absorbed magic.

In addition, you can cast this spell by spending 4 arcane points. You can cast it at higher levels, increasing the level in 1 for each additional arcane point spent. The maximum amount of arcane points you can spend on this ability equals half your Anti-mage level.

Suppressive Aura

At 17th level, you can suppress a certain type of magic, depending on the glyphs you have. You create an aura of anti-magic, that have similar effects to the antimagic field, but it lasts for the duration of your augmentation, and only affect spells and magical effects from the schools you have glyphs tattooed on.

You can activate this aura at the same time you use your augmentation, and when you do so, you can't do it again until you finish a short or a long rest.

Method of Gauntlet

Warriors who have cut ties with their mage overlords, these anti-mages are the guardians. Some follow this path to protect others from the harms of irresponsible use of magic; others act as bodyguards or sentinels of areas that have threat of being attacked by magic.

Defensive Mastery

At 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium and heavy armor and with shields. In addition, while wearing an armor or shield, you can spend 1 arcana point whenever you or a friendly creature within 5 feet are hit by an attack, to force the attacker to reroll, choosing the lowest value.

Augmentation: Defensive Enhancement

At 3rd level, when you are augmented, you can spend 1 point as a reaction to gain resistance to slashing, bludgeoning and piercing damage for that turn, instead of only against damage from spells.

Magical Deflection

At 6th level, you can use your Spell Resilience ability to protect a creature within 5 feet of you. In addition, you don't spend arcane points to use Spell Resilience while augmented.

In addition, when you take damage from a ranged spell attack, you can use your reaction and spend 1 arcane point to deflect it. You reduce the damage of the spell by 1d10 + your Charisma modifier + your Anti-Mage level. If you reduce the damage to 0, you can choose a new target within 60 feet, using the same attack bonus that have hit you. If the spell attack is from a spell of 1st-level or higher, you must spend additional 1 arcane point per level of the spell to be able to deflect it.

Sentinel Augmentation

At 11th level, when your augmentation is active, you can take a reaction once in each creature's turn.

Survivor

At 17th level, you attain the pinnacle of resilience in battle. At the start of each of your turns, you regain hit points equal to 5 + your Constitution modifier if you have no more than half of your hit points left. You don't gain this benefit if you have 0 hit points.

Method of the Scalpel

Relentlessly hunting wizards and witches, followers of the scalpel are mage killers, who cruelly slay spellcasters, and often have a deep hatred for them. This method is one of the only that hasn't be developed by magic users.

Weapon Mastery

At 3rd level, you gain proficiency with martial weapons. In addition, you can use your Dexterity, rather than your Strength, for your attacks and damage rolls with weapons you are proficient with and for your brawl.

Augmentation: Violent Surge

When you are augmented, you enter in a violent surge. For the duration of your augmentation, you can use your bonus action in each of your turns to move up to half your movement speed towards a hostile creature. If the hostile creature has cast a spell since its next turn, you can move up to your movement speed.

If you end your movement within 5 feet of a hostile creature, you can make an attack as part of your violent surge. You lose 1 arcane point per turn you remain on this surge. The surge ends if you have no arcane points left.

Your violent surge if you haven't attacked a creature since your last turn.

Mind-Breaking Strikes

At 6th level, you learn how to let deep wounds on your targets, that prevent mages from thinking clearly. Once per turn, when you hit a creature with an attack made while augmented, that creature has disadvantage on Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma checks and on Concentration checks made until the end of your next turn.

In addition, creatures forced by your target to make a saving throw make that save with advantage.

Vengeful Flurry

At 11th level, if a creature you can see have cast a spell since your last turn, you can make three attacks, instead of two, when you take the Attack action. All attacks must be made against the same creature.

In addition, once per turn when you take the Attack action, you can spend 1 arcane point to make one additional attack as part of that action.

Aura of Malice

At 15th level, your hatred for mages is so great that it leaks out of your body like miasma affecting the world around you. Once per day you may now expend all of your arcana points (min 4) to cast Anti-Magic Field.

Superior Speed

At 17th level, you can use your Body Acceleration feature without spending arcane points. In addition, while augmented, you can use your Body Acceleration as a reaction, rather than using a bonus action.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Anti-Mage class, you must meet these prerequisites: 13 minimum Constitution score, not able to cast spells (Unless the DM allows retraining of the entire casting class, replacing those levels with Anti-Mage levels)

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Anti-Mage class, you gain the following proficiencies: Light Armor

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