Arcane Fist (5e Class)
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Arcane Fist[edit]
Arcane Fists are those who wanted to add magic into their punch to hit harder, and succeeded. They dedicated themselves into learning the proper ways to channel magical energies within themselves, and be able to punch with the force of a fireball spell.
Creating a Arcane Fist[edit]
- Quick Build
You can make a Arcane Fist quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Intelligence. Second, choose the <!-background name-> background. Third, choose <!-elaborate on equipment choices->
Class Features
As a Arcane Fist you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10 per Arcane Fist level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution modifier per Arcane Fist level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: None
Weapons: Simple Weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Intelligence
Skills: Choose 2 from Arcana, Athletics, History, Insight, Perception, and Survival
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) quarterstaff or (b) handaxe
- (a) dagger or (b) ten darts
- (a) explorer's pack or (b) scholar's pack
- pair of silver lined bracers used as a spellcasting focus (cost 5gp)
- If you are using starting wealth, you have 4d4 x 10gp in funds.
| Level | Proficiency Bonus |
Arcane Points | Arcane Strike Die | Features | —Spell Slots per Spell Level— | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | |||||
| 1st | +2 | 0 | 1d4 | Unarmored Defense, Unarmed Defense | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +2 | 2 | 1d4 | Spellcasting, Spell Smite, Arcane | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | +2 | 3 | 1d4 | Arcane Fist Styles | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | +2 | 4 | 1d4 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 5th | +3 | 5 | 1d4 | Extra Attack | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 6th | +3 | 6 | 1d6 | Emporwerd Blows, Style Feature | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 7th | +3 | 7 | 1d6 | Overcharge | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 8th | +3 | 8 | 1d6 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 9th | +4 | 9 | 1d6 | Breaking Fist | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 10th | +4 | 10 | 1d6 | Resonating Blow | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 11th | +4 | 11 | 1d8 | Style Feature | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 12th | +4 | 12 | 1d8 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 13th | +5 | 13 | 1d8 | Compress Hit | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 14th | +5 | 14 | 1d8 | Arcane Body | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 15th | +5 | 15 | 1d8 | Arcane Rejuvenation | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 16th | +5 | 16 | 1d10 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 17th | +6 | 17 | 1d10 | Style Feature | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 18th | +6 | 18 | 1d10 | — | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 19th | +6 | 19 | 1d10 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 20th | +6 | 20 | 1d10 | Arcane Rampage | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Unarmored Defense[edit]
Beginning at 1st level, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Intelligence modifier.
Arcane Strike[edit]
Starting at 1st level, arcane fists learned how to unconsciously channel magical energy through their fist thus allowing them to hit harder. You can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike. This die changes as you gain arcane fist levels, as shown in the Arcane Strike column of the Arcane Fist table. In addition your unarmed attacks count a weapon attack in terms of spells you cast.
Spellcasting[edit]
By 2nd level, you have learned to draw on magic through study and meditation to cast spells as a wizard does.
Preparing and Casting Spells The Arcane Fist table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your arcane fist spells. To cast one of your arcane fist spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
You prepare the list of arcane fist spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the arcane fist spell list. When you do so, choose a number of arcane fist spells equal to your Intelligence modifier + half your arcane fist level, rounded down (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
For example, if you are a 5th-level arcane fist, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Intelligence of 14, your list of prepared spells can include four spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell Burning Hands, you can cast it using a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells.
You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of arcane spells requires time spent in study and meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.
Spellcasting Ability Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your arcane fist spells, since their power derives from your knowledge and understanding of magic. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a Intelligence spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Spellcasting Focus You can use a silvered lined bracers as a spellcasting focus for your arcane fist spells.
Spell Smite[edit]
Starting at 2nd level, when you hit a creature with a unarmed attack, you can expend one spell slot to deal additional force damage to the target, in addition to your unarmed damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st to a maximum of 6d8. You can only use this ability once per turn.
Arcane[edit]
Starting at 2nd level, your training allows you to harness residual magic energy called arcane. Your access to this energy is represented by a number of arcane points. Your arcane fist level determines the number of points you have, as shown in the Arcane Points column of the Arcane Fist table.
You can spend these points to fuel various arcane features. You start knowing three such features: Shattering Blow, Harden Defense, and Boosted Step. You learn more arcane features as you gain levels in this class.
When you spend a arcane point, it is unavailable until you finish a short or long rest, at the end of which you draw all of your expended arcane back into yourself. You must spend at least 30 minutes of the rest meditating to regain your arcane points.
Some of your arcane features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:
Arcane save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
- Shattering Blow. When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 1 arcane point to make an unarmed strike deal max damage (this does not affect spell smite).
- Harden Defense. You can spend 1 arcane point to increase your AC by 5 until the start of your next turn as a bonus action on your turn.
- Boosted Step. You can spend 1 arcane point to take the Disengage or Dash action as a bonus action on your turn, and your jump distance is doubled for the turn.
Arcane Fist Styles[edit]
At 3rd level, you chose a Arcane Fist Style. Choose between Elemental Style, Spell Style, or Technique Style, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 11th, and 17th level.
Ability Score Improvement[edit]
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[edit]
Starting at 5th level you can make an extra attack when you use the attack action on your turn.
Empowered Blows[edit]
Starting at 6th level, your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Overcharge[edit]
Starting at 7th level, you can spend action overcharging magic into your unarmed strikes. For the next minute you may make a total of three attacks when you take an attack action, and all attacks deal an extra 1d8 force damage. You can use this ability once per long rest. At 14th level you gain advantage on your attacks and the extra damage is increase to 2d8 force damage.
Vital Fist[edit]
Starting at 9th level, as a bonus action you may spend an arcane point to increase the critical range of your attacks by one step(ex: 20 -> 19-20) until the start your next turn.
Resonating Blow[edit]
Starting at 10th level, whenever you hit with an attack you can spend an arcane point to make that creature make a constitution saving throw vs your Spell DC. On a fail the creature gain vulnerability to force damage, or if the creature had resistance or immunity to force damage it instead is lowered by one step(ex: resistance becomes normal and immunity becomes resistance), this last until the start of your next turn (including for the triggering attack.)
Compress Hit[edit]
Starting at 13th, you can spend 1 arcane points to reroll all 1s on the damage die, however you must take the second result.
Arcane Body[edit]
Starting at 14th level, due to the ever running and ever present arcane energies in your body you gain immunity to all diseases and resistance to force damage. Starting at 18th level, if you are affected by a spell of 3rd level or lower that would deal damage, you can make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, reducing the damage you would take to 0, but not removing any other effects the spell would have on you on a successful save. On a failed save you only take half instead.
Arcane Rejuvenation[edit]
Starting at 15th level, as a bonus action you can restore spells slots by spending an amount of arcane points equal to the spell level, you can also expend a spell slot gaining arcane points equal to the level of the spell slot. In addition you can spend hit-dice to regain arcane points up to a number of time equal to your Intelligence modifier per long rest.
Arcane Rampage[edit]
Starting at 20th level, you can spend an action let the arcane energies run wild within your body, for the next minute you will fall under the following effects;
- You can roll with advantage on saving throws against spells above 2nd level
- All unarmed attacks deal an additional 2d8 force damage regardless of source
- You temporally gain 5 arcane points that do not count against your arcane point cap.
- You are under the effects similar to the haste spell
Once you use this ability you cannot use it again until after a long rest, in addition this ability can be dispelled with the dispel magic spell.
Elemental Style[edit]
Elemental Style is practice by arcane fists who want punch with fire or kick with lightning, adjusting their elemental discharge to fit the situation when it calls for it.
- Elemental Charge
At 3rd level, when you start practicing this style you can spend a bonus action to change the damage type of Spell Smite to fire, cold, lightning, acid, poison, or thunder damage. At 7th level when you use the Overcharge ability you can change the damage type to your chosen damage type, same with the Resonating Blow feature at 13th level and Arcane Rampage feature at 20th level.
- Elemental Guard
At 6th level, when you choose a damage type from the Elemental Charge feature you gain resistance to the damage type you have chosen.
- Elemental Rebuke
At 11th level, when you are hit with a melee attack you can spend a reaction and an amount of arcane points up to your Intelligence modifier to deal 1d10 per arcane point of the damage type Elemental Charge is set to. If no damage type was chosen it deals force damage instead.
- Elemental Discharge
At 17th level, as an action you can expend arcane points equal to you Intelligence modifier plus your proficiency bonus to deal 1d10 damage per arcane point spent of the damage type chosen Elemental Charge is set to. All creatures within 15 ft. radius around you must make a dexterity save vs your spellcasting DC taking full damage on a fail and half as much on a successful one.
Spell Style[edit]
Spell Style is practice by arcane fists who want to have the same capabilities of full casters at the detriment of further honing of their melee attacks.
- Expanded Spell Casting
At 3rd level you gain the capabilities of a full caster as shown on the table below, you can now choose spells from the wizard spell list in addition to your spell lists, and those spells count as arcane fist's spells for you and will count towards your prepared spells.
| Level | Cantrips Known | Spell Slots per Spell Level | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | ||
| 3rd | 3 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | 4 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5th | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6th | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7th | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 8th | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 9th | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| 10th | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 11th | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 12th | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 13th | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 14th | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 15th | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 16th | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 17th | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 18th | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 19th | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 20th | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
- School Specialization
At 6th level, you gain specialization to a certain school of spells, choose any spell school type and when you do you can learn any spell of that school even if they are not from the arcane fists' or wizard spell list. Those spells will count as arcane fist's spells for you and will count towards your prepared spells.
- Arane Modification
At 11th level, you may spend arcane points to modify a spell you are casting as part of the same action, the modifications you can use are the following;
- Extend Range. When you cast a spell that has a range of 5 feet or greater, you can spend 1 arcane point to double the range of the spell.
When you cast a spell that has a range of touch, you can spend 1 arcane point to make the range of the spell 30 feet..
- Extend Duration. When you cast a spell that has a duration of 1 minute or longer, you can spend 1 arcane point to double its duration, to a maximum duration of 24 hours.
- Damage Booster. When you roll damage for a spell, you can spend 1 or more arcane points to add damage dice up to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of one).
- Spell Overcharge
At 17th level, as part of your action of casting a spell that deals damage you may expend twice the arcane points equal to the spell's level to deal maximum damage of the spell.
Technique Style[edit]
Technique Style is practiced by arcane fists' who wish to expand their martial techniques with the help of the arcane energies flowing through their body.
- Arcane Boost
At 3rd level, you can spend 3 arcane points as a bonus action to come under same effects as the haste spell until the start of your next turn.
- Arcane Riposte
At 6th level, as a reaction to being hit by a creature you can see within melee range, you can expend 2 arcane points to make an unarmed attack against that creature. On a hit that creature must make a constitution saving throw against your spellcasting DC, and on a fail you take no damage and the creature is stunned until the start of it's next turn. On a success it makes it attack as normal.
- Arcane Redirection
At 11th level, you gain the ability to redirect spells or magical attacks. As a reaction to being hit with a ranged spell or magical attack, or come under the effect of a line area of effect spell or magical attack, you can spend arcane points equal to the spell level or half the creature's CR(rounded down) if its a magical attack, and roll a spellcasting check against the spell/magical attack roll or DC if its a line area of effect. On a success you can redirect the spell or magical effect to another creature you can see within the range of the spell or magical effect, the creature is subjected to the originator's attack roll or DC. On a fail you instead take half damage of the attack or area of effect(taking no damage if you succeed the saving throw or is a spell below 3nd level with the Arcane Body feature).
- Arcane Techniques
Starting 17th level, whenever you use an action make an attack you may also spend a bonus action to apply one of the following techniques to an attack. You can only use each technique once per turn.
- Disorientating Strike If the attack lands and deals damage, spend 1 arcane point to cause the creature to make a constitution saving throw against your spell DC or be stunned until the end of their next turn.
- Trifold Attack When you deal damage with an attack, spend 3 arcane points to deal triple your Arcane Strike damage.
- Heavy Strike If the attack lands spend 2 arcane points to knocked the creature prone.
- Brutality If the attack lands and kills the creature spend 2 arcane point to make all hostile creatures that can see you make a charisma saving throw against your spell DC or be frightened of you and must spend their action running away from you for the next 1d4+1 rounds. They can remake the save at the end of their turn.
- Fatal Blow When you deal damage with an attack, spend an amount of arcane points equal the difference of your base roll and the number you need to need to crit, if you do that attack counts as a crit.
Arcane Fist Spell List[edit]
You know all of the spells on the basic spell list and additional spells based on your subclass.
- 1st Level
Burning Hands, Chaos Bolt, Chromatic Orb, Earth Tremor, Faerie Fire, Frost Fingers, Green Flame-Blade, Hellish Rebuke, Jim’s Magic Missile, Magic Missile, Tasha’s Caustic Brew, Thunderwave, Witch Bolt
- 2nd Level
Aganazzar’s Scorcher, Continual Flame, Darkness, Flame-Blade, Gust of Wind, Melf’s Acid Arrow, Rime’s Binding Ice, Scorching Ray, Shatter, Snilloc’s Snowball Swarm, Tasha’s Mind Whip, Warding Wind
- 3rd Level
Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Melf’s Minute Meteors, Pulse Wave, Sending, Wind Wall
- 4th Level
Gravity Sinkhole, Fire Shield, Ice Storm, Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere, Storm Sphere, Vitriolic Sphere, Wall of Fire
- 5th Level
Bigby’s Hand, Cone of Cold, Destructive Wave, Flame Strike, Immolation, Maelstrom, Wall of Force, Wall of Light, Wall of Sand, Wall of Stone, Wall of Water
Multiclassing[edit]
Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Arcane Fist class, you must meet these prerequisites: 13 strength and 13 Intelligence
Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Arcane Fist class, you gain the following proficiencies: Simple Weapons
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