Spectrum Mage (5e Class)

Spectrum Mage

Spectrum mages are mages that specialize in the casting of numerous less powerful spells. They are eager to learn and show of their superior magical knowledge to others. This specialization in using weaker magic that most other spellcasters has led spectrum mages to become far more efficient at casting lower level spells than most other spellcasters.

Creating a Spectrum Mage

Why does your character want to know how magic works enough to go into this line of magical study? Is there something your character wants to accomplish with this knowledge? Explain how your character got into studying magic, and specificly how they got into researching different aspects of magic.

Quick Build

You can make an spectrum mage quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest ability score in Intelligence, followed by Dexterity then Constitution. Second, choose the sage background.

Source

Class Features

As a Spectrum Mage you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d6 per Spectrum Mage level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + Constitution modifier per Spectrum Mage level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Daggers, shortswords, quarterstaffs, light crossbows
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Intelligence, Dexterity
Skills: Choose two skills from Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Perception, and Persuasion

Equipment

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

• (a) a shortsword or (b) a quarterstaff
• (a) a scholar's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• (a) a component pouch or (b) an arcane focus

Table: The Spectrum Mage

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Cantrips Known	Spell Points	Max Spell Level
1st	+2	Spellcasting, Magical Correction	3	4	1
2nd	+2	Study Path, Spell Fragments	3	6	1
3rd	+2	—	3	14	2
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	4	17	2
5th	+3	Retained Fragments, Magical Correction improvement	4	27	3
6th	+3	Path feature	4	32	3
7th	+3	—	4	38	4
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	4	44	4
9th	+4	—	4	57	5
10th	+4	Path feature	5	64	5
11th	+4	Magical Correction improvement	5	73	6
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	5	73	6
13th	+5	—	5	83	7
14th	+5	Path feature	5	83	7
15th	+5	—	5	94	8
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	5	94	8
17th	+6	Magical Correction improvement	5	107	9
18th	+6	Rebuke	5	114	9
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	5	123	9
20th	+6	Magical Overcharge	5	133	9

Magical Correction

Beginning at 1st level, before the results of a roll have been announced, you may add 1d4 to any roll you make. You may use this feature twice, and you regain all uses of this feature after you finish a long rest. The number of times you can use this feature increases to three at 5th level, four at 11th level, and five at 17th level.

Spellcasting

As a student of magic, you choose to focus on knowing all the mundane boring spells that all other spell casters gloss over. You know the intricacies of how spells work better than most other magic users.

Cantrips

At 1st level, you know three cantrips of your choice from the spectrum mage spell list. You learn additional spectrum mage cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Spectrum Mage table.

Preparing Spells

You prepare the list of spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the spectrum mage spell list at the bottom of the class. When you do so, choose a number of spectrum mage spells equal to your Intelligence modifier + the half of your spectrum mage level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of spectrum spells requires time spent in study: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Spell Point Costs Table

Spell Slot Level	Cost
1st	2
2nd	3
3rd	5
4th	6
5th	7
6th	9
7th	10
8th	11
9th	13

Spell Point Costs

Instead of binding your magic to a number of spell slots per long rest, you instead draw power from the world around you to cast from a pool of spell points. You can cast spells by spending a number of spell points according to the level of the spell you wish to cast. You may only cast your known spells at levels equal to or lower than your Max Spell Level. You can cast spells at a higher spell level by spending the amount of spell points equal to the level you want to cast the spell as. (ex. You can cast a 2nd level magic missile spell by spending 3 spell points instead of 2.)

Spectrum mages do not need to contend with spell levels, but the higher mysteries of the world carry a heavier cost than most. Regardless of their number of spell points, a spectrum mage can only cast spells of 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th level once before they need to finish a long rest to cast these level spells again.

You regain all of your spell points after you finish a long rest.

Spellcasting Ability

Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your spectrum mage spells. You use your Intelligence whenever a spectrum mage spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a spectrum mage 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

Ritual Casting

You can cast a spectrum mage spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared.

Spellcasting Focus

You can use an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus for your spectrum mage spells.

Spell Fragments

Beginning at 2nd level, your study into spellcasting has allowed you to realize the inefficiencies of spellcasting, and in an attempt to harness its lost power you discovered spell fragments. Whenever you cast a spectrum mage spell of 1st level or higher, a small orb of magic begins orbiting you in your space until you finish a long rest. You can have a maximum number of spell fragments equal to your spectrum mage level + your Intelligence modifier (minimum 1). These orbs can be spent when you cast spells as a bonus action unless otherwise stated to garner additional effects.

Distant Spell

When you cast a spell that has a range of 5 feet or greater, you can spend 1 spell fragment to double the range of the spell.

When you cast a spell that has a range of touch, you can spend 1 spell fragment to make the range of the spell 30 feet.

Empowered Spell

When you roll damage for a spell, you can spend 2 spell fragments to reroll a number of the damage dice up to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of one). You must use the new rolls.

Enhanced Cantrip

When you roll damage for a cantrip, you can spend 1 spell fragment to add another damage die to the damage dealt. When you reach 11th level, this effect adds two damage dice to your damage dealt instead of 1.

Extended Spell

When you cast a spell that has a duration of 1 minute or longer, you can spend 1 spell fragment to double its duration, to a maximum duration of 24 hours

Piercing Spell

When you cast a spell that deals damage, you may spend 3 spell fragments to ignore the creatures' resistance to the spell's damage, and act as if the creatures' have resistance to the spell's damage instead of immunity to it.

Protective Shield

When you are damaged, you may spend spell fragments as a reaction to reduce the damage dealt to you by 1d6 for each spell fragment spent.

Study Path

When you reach 2nd level, you select a Magic Spectrum for your spectrum mage. Your choice grants you features at 2nd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

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.

Retained Fragments

Beginning at 5th level, when you finish a Long rest you may retain a number of spell fragments up to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of one).

Rebuke

Beginning at 18th level, whenever you take damage by a creature within 60 feet of you, you may cast a cantrip at the creature as a reaction.

Magical Overcharge

Beginning at 20th level, at the start of your turn, you may invoke long lost magic as a bonus action, allowing you to rapidly absorb magic from the air around you for a short period of time. For 1 minute, you gain 4 spell charges at the start of your turn and have advantage on all saving throws from magic. After this feature is used, you must finish a long rest to regain use of it.

Ancient Magic

You have stumbled upon some source of ancient magic, whether it be spellcasting notes, an old magical item, magic runes, or something else which you are only starting to unravel the secrets of. Spectrum mages of the Ancient Magic path seek to unravel the secrets of long dead magic and learn ways of harnessing its power.

Arcane Protection

Starting at 2nd level, you have learned how to invoke an old protection magic to help protect yourself and an ally of your choice. As a bonus action, you may touch a creature, giving both of you bonuses to your saving throws equal to half your proficiency bonus for 4 hours. You regain use of this feature after you finish a long rest.

Studied

Starting at 2nd level, you have begun to study up on ancient uses arcane magic. You may gain advantage on a Intelligence (Arcana) or Intelligence (History) check related to magic before the results of the roll have been announced. You regain use of this feature after you finish a long rest.

Enhanced Spellcasting

Starting at 6th level, you have begun to incorporate ancient magic into your spellcasting. When you cast a spell that heals or deals damage and roll a 1, you may reroll the die. You must then use the new roll.

Aura of Magic

Starting at 10th level, your study of ancient magic has irreversibly altered you. You now emit a 10 foot magical aura. This aura dispels all illusions that come into contact with the aura, and you can sense whenever a creature enters or exits your aura, but not where there are in your aura.

Spell Mastery

Starting at 14th level, you have achieved mastery over spells and the use of spell fragments. When you use a bonus action to use Spell Fragments property, as part of that same bonus action, you may empower your spell with a different Spell Fragments property.

Researcher

Researchers are those who seek to reach a greater understanding of the rabbit hole called magic. They are those who heavily dabble in strange and unused magic's, and through their research, most gain unrivaled levels of magical understanding.

Bonus Proficiency

When you choose this path at 2nd level, you gain proficiency in two of the following skills of your choice: Arcana, History, Investigation, Medicine, Nature or Religion, or you may gain proficiency in one one tool your choice.

Flexible Spell List

Starting at 2nd level, your research has started to garner results. You can exchange spells you know with other available spells after every short rest.

True Script

Starting at 2nd level, you have learned how to place enchantment on yourself that turns all script you see into a language familiar to you. You can now read all languages.

Magical Guidance

Starting at 6th level, when a creature within 30 feet of you make an attack roll, a skill check, or a saving throw, you may use your reaction to give that creature advantage on that roll before the results of the roll have been announced. Once this feature is used, you may not use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Enhanced Vision

Starting at 10th level, your research has irreversibly changed your body, and made your eyes sensitive to even the faintest magical energy. You are permanently under the effects of the detect magic spell without need for concentration.

Broken Limitations

By 14th level, your research in magic has reached the point were you are able to break some of the limitations your magic has. You may cast any spell from the spectrum mage spell list that's spell level is equal to or lower than 1 + your proficiency bonus without spending any spell points. Once you use this feature, you can not use it again until you finish a long rest.

Spectrum Mage Spell List

Spectrum mages can prepare spells from a wide variety of options, usually picking spells that best fit what situations they find themselves in.

Cantrips

dancing lights, fire bolt, light, mage hand, mending, message, minor illusion, mold earth prestidigitation, ray of frost

1st

burning hands, charm person, color spray, comprehend languages, cure wounds, detect magic, detect poison and disease, disguise self, entangle, faerie fire, feather fall, fog cloud, healing word, ice knife, identify, longstrider, magic missile, protection from evil and good, purify food and drink, sleep,

2nd

alter self, arcane lock, blindness/deafness, blur, calm emotions, darkness, detect thoughts, enhance ability, gust of wind, heat metal, hold person, invisibility, knock, lesser restoration, levitate, locate object, magic mouth, mirror image, misty step, phantasmal force, ray of enfeeblement, see invisibility, suggestion, web, zone of truth

3rd

blink, clairvoyance, counterspell, daylight, dispel magic, fear, fireball, glyph of warding, lightning bolt, magic circle, major image, mass healing word, melf's minute meteors, nondetection, protection from energy, remove curse, sending, sleet storm, slow, speak with dead, stinking cloud, tongues, water breathing, water walk, wind wall

4th

arcane eye, banishment, black tentacles, blight, compulsion, confusion, control water, dimension door, divination, elemental bane freedom of movement, greater invisibility, hallucinatory terrain, ice storm, locate creature, polymorph, resilient sphere, stoneskin, wall of fire

5th

awaken, animate objects, cone of cold, creation, dominate person, dream, contact other plane, dispel evil and good, geas, greater restoration, hold monster, insect plague, legend lore, mass cure wounds, modify memory, raise dead, scrying, seeming, telekinesis, teleportation circle, wall of force

6th

chain lightning, create undead, disintegrate, find the path, guards and wards, heal, instant summons, magic jar, move earth, programmed illusion, true seeing,

7th

etherealness, finger of death, fire storm, forcecage, magnificent mansion, mirage arcane, plane shift, regenerate, reverse gravity, sequester, symbol, teleport

8th

antimagic field, antipathy/sympathy, demiplane, dominate monster, feeblemind, incendiary cloud, maze, mind blank

9th

foresight, gate, imprisonment, true polymorph, wish

Multiclassing

This class counts as a full spellcaster for the purposes of multiclassing.

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the spectrum mage class, you must meet these prerequisites: Intelligence 13 and Dexterity 13.

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the spectrum mage class, you gain the following proficiencies: light armor and shortswords or light crossbows.

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