Muscle Wizard (5e Class)
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Muscle Wizard[edit]
Based of the absurdist wizard school by Doctor Necrotic. [1]
A man clad in blue robes strides up a hill, when reaching the crest he sees the armies of hell before him. They all turn towards him; weapons clanging, roars of blood lust and the beating of war drums. But, before the forces of evil can do anything, the man's shirt explodes off of him revealing perfect physique. He stands raising his fist, chuckling as he does. Confused, a brave fiend asks him what is so funny, the man replies jovially. 'Well. I CAST FIST!' and when he does, plunging his hand to the ground, the entire hill explodes into a mushroom cloud of dirt and demonic corpses. As the dust clears, the mountain of rubble and bodies settling as the man stands unharmed atop it. The hordes, severely reduced, stand shaken as this man, with one punch, eviscerated hundreds of them. Then the man states: 'Who's next!'
Warriors of great strength, and great knowledge[edit]
Muscle Wizards are pinnacles of both physical and arcane prowess. This stems from encounters between monks who followed the Way of the Open Hand and more martial oriented mages, which led to some of the mages to adopt the monks way of fighting. Instead of conjuring traditional spells, they focused the arcane energies into their fists which greatly increased the destructive power of their unarmed strikes. These boxer wizards then began refining their unique art, passing down traditions which evolved through generations, eventually becoming an obscure, yet powerful and disciplined form of magic. Muscle Wizards are usually very proud of their art, as it has grueling and repetitive training that could kill someone from exhaustion. The result are musclebound wielders of magic, they are often underestimated as mindless barbarians and are quite surprised when the 'brainless ruffian' turns out to be a master historical scholar on the side. This versatility makes Muscle Wizards very difficult opponents, as they can both use advanced battle tactics and single-handedly carry out those plans.
Creating a Muscle Wizard[edit]
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| Alex Louis Armstrong fan-art by Javier Boyano López |
How did you embark on your journey of martial wizardry? Are you the most recent practitioner of a family tradition that has spanned generations? Were you unhappy with your mundane life and decide that this was the best way to alleviate boredom? What ever the reason, you have begun a journey of intense training of body and mind that will leave you stronger than all others.
- Quick Build
You can make a Muscle Wizard quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Intelligence, then Constitution and Dexterity should be high as well. Second, choose the Dog of the Military background. Third, choose Steel Gauntlets, Arcane focus and dungeoneer's pack.
Class Features
As a Muscle Wizard you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d12 per Muscle Wizard level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + Constitution modifier per Muscle Wizard level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: None
Weapons: Simple weapons, simple and martial glove weapons.
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Constitution and one of the following: Strength or Intelligence
Skills: Choose two from: Arcana, Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine or Religion
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) A brass knuckle or (b) Two cestus
- (a) A component pouch or (b) An arcane focus
- A dagger
- (a) A dungeoneer's pack or (b) A scholar's pack
| Level | Proficiency Bonus |
Cantrips | Spells Known | Features | Brutal Fist | —Spell Slots per Spell Level— | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | ||||||
| 1st | +2 | - | - | Brutal Fist, Unarmored Defense | 1d4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +2 | 2 | - | Attack Rush, Spellcasting | 1d4 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | +2 | 2 | 3 | Archetypes | 1d4 | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | +2 | 2 | 4 | Ability Score Improvement | 1d4 | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 5th | +3 | 2 | 5 | Arcane Pugilist | 1d6 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 6th | +3 | 2 | 6 | Threatening Appearance | 1d6 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 7th | +3 | 3 | 7 | Archetype Feature | 1d6 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 8th | +3 | 3 | 8 | Ability Score Improvement | 1d6 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 9th | +4 | 3 | 9 | — | 1d6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 10th | +4 | 3 | 12 | Archetype Feature | 1d6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 11th | +4 | 3 | 13 | Arcane Pugilist (x2) | 2d4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 12th | +4 | 3 | 14 | Ability Score Improvement | 2d4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 13th | +5 | 4 | 15 | — | 2d4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 14th | +5 | 4 | 16 | Ability Score Improvement | 2d4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 15th | +5 | 4 | 17 | Archetype Feature | 2d4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 16th | +5 | 4 | 18 | Ability Score Improvement | 2d4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 17th | +6 | 4 | 18 | — | 2d6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 18th | +6 | 5 | 19 | Enhanced Muscularity | 2d6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 19th | +6 | 5 | 19 | Ability Score Improvement | 2d6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 20th | +6 | 5 | 20 | Serious Punch | 2d8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Brutal Fist[edit]
You have the knowledge to enhance your punches with arcane energy. At 1st level, your unarmed strikes and attacks with glove weapons deal 1d4 damage. This damage increases as you gain levels in this class, as shown on the Brutal Fist column on the Muscle Mage table.
Unarmored Defense[edit]
Also at 1st level, you have managed to combine your physical and mental strengths to protect you. Your unarmored AC = 10 + Strength modifier + Intelligence modifier.
Attack Rush[edit]
Starting at 2nd level, when you take the Attack action and make one unarmed strike or attack with a glove weapon, you can make another using a bonus action.
Spellcasting[edit]
Starting at 2nd level, you use your mighty Muscles combined with your Arcane Knowledge to cast spells. The number of spells you know is shown on the table above, along with the amount of cantrips you know.
Spell save DC: 8 + Strength modifier + proficiency bonus
Spell Attack: Prof. Bonus + Strength modifier
Archetypes[edit]
At 3rd level, you decide to begin specializing in one of the two important aspects of Muscle Wizardry. The raw, unbeatable strength that defines the physically most powerful. Or the refined, tactical intelligence that focuses more on the arcane aspect of this discipline.
Archetype features are listed at the bottom of the page.
Ability Score Increase[edit]
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 14th, 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.
Arcane Pugilist[edit]
Starting at 5th level, when you take the Attack action and make an attack using your unarmed strikes or a glove weapon, you can make another attack or cast a cantrip.
At 11th level, you can make two additional attacks, or one additional attack and cast one cantrip.
Threatening Appearance[edit]
At 6th level your superhuman physicality causes the following effects:
- Your height increases by 2d12 inches and your weight by 10x2d6 lbs.
- Your imposing nature means that you gain disadvantage on all Charisma checks other than Intimidation, which you gain advantage on.
- You count as one size larger for effects of pushing and being pushed
Enhanced Muscularity[edit]
At 18th level, your Strength score increase by 2, up to a maximum of 22.
Serious Punch[edit]
At 20th level, you have mastered the arcane art of enhancing your unarmed melee attacks with magic. By expending all of your spell slots, you can bring ultimate destruction to your foes. You punch either an enemy, object or the ground dealing 34d4+ Strength modifier + Intelligence modifier bludgeoning damage. This causes the following effects to occur:
- A 50 ft conical blast wave emanates from the point of impact. All those inside must succeed on a Dexterity or Constitution save against your Spell DC or take 3d8 thunder damage, are pushed 15 ft away and knocked prone, and are deafened until the end of the target's next turn. On a success, the target takes half damage and isn't pushed or deafened.
- The sheer force and speed of the impact causes an explosion in a 40 ft radius. All targets, Aside from yourself, must succeed on a Constitution save against your DC or take 2d6 Fire and 2d10 Force damage, and be stunned. On a success, they don't take the force damage and aren't stunned.
- The ground cracks and debris is scattered around in a 25 ft radius from the shockwave. All targets in the area, aside from yourself, must make a Dexterity or Constitution save against your Spell DC or take 3d4 Piercing damage. On a success they take half as much.
You can only perform this attack if you have all of your spell slots and if you have no exhaustion levels. All damage is considered magical to overcome non-magical resistance, as well as treats magical immunity as resistance. All resulting effects of the initial punch treat immunity to their respective damage as resistance due to the shear force and intensity of the attack, and ignores magical resistance. After performing this attack, you use up all of your spell slots and are reduced to the 4th level of exhaustion.
Muscle Ways[edit]
Way of the Closed Fist[edit]
These are people who take the art of punching things to the extreme, they focus more on their physical strength rather than their spellcasting.
- Brutish Resolve
At 3rd level you gain advantage on Strength saving throws and ability checks.
- Consecutive Punches
At 7th level you can expend a spell slot to perform an additional unarmed attack with your bonus action. Expending spell slots above 1st level grants an additional extra attack (e.g. +2 attacks Level 2; +3 attacks Level 3; etc.)
- Martial Prowess
At 10th level you have trained your body so hard that you gain one of the following effects of your choice:
1.You gain a +2 to either Dexterity or Constitution, or +1 to both.
2.You gain Proficiency in either Dexterity or Constitution saving throws.
3.You gain Proficiency in Martial Melee weapons.
- Barbaric Fist
At 15th level your Brutal Fist damage is the dice of the highest tier (2d8), and at 20th level the damage equals 2d10.
Way of the Open Mind[edit]
These individuals are more magic based, using a wider range of spells and living up to their Muscle Wizard name.
- Intellectual Resolve
At 3rd level you gain advantage on Intelligence saving throws.
- Improved Spellcasting
At 7th level you manage to expand your range of spells, you can now access all spells of the evocation school.
- Tactical Prowess
At 10th level you have trained your mind so hard that you gain one of the following effects of your choice:
1.You gain a +2 to either Wisdom or Charisma, or +1 to both.
2.You gain Proficiency in either Wisdom or Charisma saving throws.
3.You gain Proficiency in Two tools of your choice.
- Psychic Fist
At 15th level your Brutal Fist damage is the dice of the tier two below (2d4), but your Brutal fist now can be cast at a range of 40 ft.
Muscle Wizard Spell List[edit]
You learn spells based on your archetype.
Way of the Closed Fist Spell List[edit]
- Cantrips
acid splash, blade ward,booming blade,chill touch, fire bolt, green-flame blade, light, magic stone, shocking grasp, true strike
- 1st level
alarm, burning hands, catapult, chromatic orb,create building, detect magic, earth tremor, identify, inflict wounds, shield, thunderwave
- 2nd level
cloud of daggers, darkness, earthbind, enhance ability, enlarge/reduce, hold person, knock, levitate, maximilian's earthen grasp, scorching ray, shatter
- 3rd level
dispel magic, elemental weapon, erupting earth, fear, fireball, haste, lightning bolt, vampiric touch
- 4th level
blight, fabricate, fire shield, ice storm, stoneskin, storm sphere
Way of the Open Mind Spell List[edit]
- Cantrips
acid splash, blade ward, chill touch, Control Flames, mage hand, mending, message, mold earth, shape water, shocking grasp, true strike
- 1st level
absorb elements, alarm, burning hands, catapult, command, comprehend languages, detect magic, earth tremor, identify, jump, longstrider, sleep, unseen servant
- 2nd level
alter self, arcane lock, darkness, darkvision, enhance ability, hold person, invisibility, knock, locate object, maximilian's earthen grasp, mirror image, shatter, silence, web
- 3rd level
bestow curse, call lightning, daylight, dispel magic, erupting earth, fear, fly, stinking cloud, water breathing
- 4th level
arcane eye, confusion, dimension door, fabricate, freedom of movement, locate creature, polymorph
Multiclassing[edit]
If your character reaches 20th level with at least 15 levels in Wizard, they may go through a physically taxing accomplishment deemed by the DM to transfer those 5 other levels into Muscle Wizard.
Prerequisites. To multiclass into the Muscle Wizard class, you must have: 13 Strength and Intelligence.
Proficiencies. When you multiclass you gain the following proficiencies: Gauntlet weapons.
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