Athasian Cerebremancy (5e Subclass)
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This is my attempt to convert the 3.5ed Cerebremancer prestige class into a 5e archetype for the Dark Sun 5e campaign, which didn’t actually start, so I couldn't test it. Sublass is directly inspired by Theurgy subclass (Unearthed Arcana: Wizard Revisited).
Psionic powers and mechanics mentioned in this document refer to The Korranberg Chronicle: Psion's Primer, specifically Psion class, which you’d need to read in order to make sense of this archetype. Think of this article as The Korranberg Chronicle: Psion's Primer homebrew, rather than just D&D 5e homebrew.
Athasian Cerebremancy – Dark Sun Arcane Tradition[edit]
Wizard Subclass
Cerebremancers could weave powers of the mind just as easily as the magical energy. Their inquiries lead them beyond the arcane mysteries in psionicist disciplines, merging the Art and the Way into a coherent single whole. Unsatisfied by mere crumbs of the true power, cerebromancers tirelessly scour for every bit of arcane and psionic knowledge that can assist them in their Ascension into one of the dreadful Athasian Dragons or ever elusive Avangions.
- Psionic Talents
Also when you choose this arcane school at 2nd level, you learn two psionic talents from the psion talent list, one of your choice and one of the following: energy ray, mindlink or imbue psicrystal. You learn another psionic talent at 14th level.
All psionic talents have a duration of Focus. You can only focus on one effect at a time, and you may focus on an effect indefinitely while you remain conscious. Your focus ends if you are knocked unconscious, if you begin focusing on another spell or effect, or if the psionic talent you are focusing on is dispelled. You may also choose to stop focusing at any time, requiring no action.
When you reach 4th level and again when you reach 10th level, instead of learning a wizard cantrip, you may learn an additional psion talent instead, which counts against your cantrips known.
- Augments
Starting when you select this tradition at 2nd level, whenever you gain a wizard level, you can replace one of the wizard spells you add to your spellbook with an augment for the psionic talents you know instead. This augment’s level can be equal or lower than your Psi Limit. These psionic augments aren’t spells and you don’t add them to your spellbook. Intelligence is your manifestation ability for these augments.
Though you have access to a potent amount of psionic energy, it takes training and practice to channel that energy. There is a limit to the number of psi points you can spend to manifest a power that augments a psionic talent. At the 2nd level, when you choose this school your Psi Limit equals 2 and increases again by 2 at 7th, 12th and 17th level, as shown in the Psi Limit table below.
To manifest these augments, whenever you are preparing spells for the day, you can expend a number of spell slots to gain psi points equal to those slot's level added together and multiplied by two (consult Psi Conversion column below for details). During the day you can start a 10 minutes of uninterrupted meditation, and expend one of your spell slots to gain additional psi points equal to that slot's level multiplied by two. All your psi points last until you use them or you finish a long rest. You must be focusing on the augment’s corresponding psionic talent in order to manifest it.
Psionic powers have the same kinds of durations as spells do. Note that an augment with a duration of concentration does not end if your focus on the psionic talent it is augmenting ends. A talent being augmented by a power that has a set duration inherits the duration of that augment, though that talent may have no discernible effect if focus is not maintained on it.
Additionally, when you gain an even level in this class (4th, 6th, 8th, 10th...), you can choose to replace one of the augments you know with another augment to the talent you know. The new augment must have the same level as the one you replace.
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- Arcane Surge
Starting at 2nd level, you gain the ability to channel your mastery of arcane and psionic to fuel one another. When you use your Arcane Surge, you choose which effect to create. You must then finish a short or long rest to use your Arcane Surge again. Beginning at 6th level, you can use your Arcane Surge twice between rests, and beginning at 18th level, you can use it three times between rests. When you finish a short or long rest, you regain your expended uses.
Will Over Magic
As a bonus action on your turn, you assert your Will to control the flow of magic around you. You can replace Material, Verbal and Somatic spell components of the next spell you cast with Observable and Auditory psionic components, giving any observer a disadvantage on Intelligence (Arcana) checks to identify the spell being cast. If they fail they are more likely to believe it was a display of psionics.
Weave The Way
As a bonus action on your turn, you fuse arcane and psionic energies into a combined psionic enchantment. Next spell you cast or power you manifest will in addition get Observable and Auditory or Verbal and Somatic components respectively, as well as +2 bonus to any attack roll you make for it or +1 to its saving throw DC.
- Erudite Savant
By 6th level, you have studied your mind’s potential ever further, stretching the boundaries of what is possible with your cerebremancy. You learn four spells or psionic powers of your choice, any of which can be either a talent or an augment. The powers you choose can be from any psionic class, but spells must belong to a wizard class. An augment you learn with this feature must augment a psionic talent you know, including one you may have learned with this feature, and augment must have a minimum power level no greater than half your Psi Limit. A spell you learn with this feature must be not above the highest level you can cast. The chosen powers count as psion powers for you. The chosen spells are added into a spellbook, as normally.
- Mental Bastion
By 10th level, you have mastered many kinds of concentration techniques: mnemonics, autohypnosis and long arduous sessions of crunching the arcane formulae, that it becomes hard to break you out of your focus. As long as you maintain a spell or power that requires concentration you get resistance to psychic damage and also can add your Intelligence bonus to Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration over spell.
- Spark of Ascension
At 14th level, you can use your Arcane Surge to improve your magical or psionic abilities even further, marking your first true steps on a journey towards becoming an Advanced Being. Whenever you make a long rest, you can pick a single ability you will be able to use until your finish another long rest.
Synaptic Spellcasting
As a bonus action on your turn, you tap your Will to unleash hidden psionic potential. Your skin is covered by swiftly crystallizing and shifting ectoplasm, while the strong telepathic hum emanates within the 30 feet radius around you, slowly fading over next 3 rounds.
You can spend a single use of the Arcane Surge to combine Psi Points and Spell Slots into a single pool to draw from for the next spell you cast until the start of your next turn. You can’t cast spells of the level you normally would have no spell slots for.
Thus, a 15th level wizard can expend 4 Psi Points and a 3rd level spell slot to cast a 5th level spell.
Arcane Nova
As a bonus action on your turn, you condense magical energy around you into a visible ego-expanding array. As your voice echoes with a booming quality, your hand gestures weave the streams of light into an intricate patterns within the 30 feets, slowly fading over the next 3 rounds.
You can spend a single use of the Arcane Surge and increase your Psi Limit by 4 for the next psionic power you manifest until the start of your next turn.
Psionic Feat rework[edit]
The Korranberg Chronicle: Psion's Primer pg. 46
- Unlocked Potential (Fixed)
Prerequisite: Must know at least one psionic talent, character level 4
Increase your manifesting ability (Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma) by 1, to a maximum of 20.
Your Psi Limit increases by 2, up to a maximum of your character level, and you learn 1 augment for any psionic talent that you know. The powers you choose to learn must have a psi cost equal to or lower than your psi limit at the time you learn them.
Special: You may take this feat up to four times. Each time, your Psi Limit maximum increases by 2, but it can't be higher than your character level. Psi Limit bonus from this feat stacks with Psi Limit increases you'll gain upon levelling gain due to levelling up your psionic class. For simplicity's sake, track these two separately and add them together. If your Psi Limit maximum is already equal to your character level upon taking this feat, you learn 2 augments instead of 1.
ConvergencePoint 2024/05/04 00:32am CET
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