War mage
Not all practitioners of wizardry are academics. Trained in military schools to accompany soldiers into battle against foes both humanoid and monstrous, the warmages are, as their name suggests, specialists in the combat applications of magic. While their magic, like that of wizards, is learned rather than instinctive or channeled, the warmages focus on rote memorization of useful magical formulae and the practical applications of such spells. This limits their ultimate power as they do not have the theoretical understanding of the deeper magics. On the other hand, this practical approach allows them to be more efficient with their spell-casting than most wizards.
Multiclassing
The Warmage is not designed to be compatible with multiclassing.
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Max Motes | Cantrips Known | Spells Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th |
| 1st | +2 | Spellcasting, Squad Assignment | - | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +2 | Power Siphon | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | +2 | Piercing Spell | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6th | +3 | Assignment Feature | 6 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7th | +3 | Spell Efficiency | 7 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 8 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 9th | +4 | Magic Sensitivity | 9 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 10th | +4 | Assignment Feature | 10 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 11th | +4 | Dualcasting | 11 | 5 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 12 | 5 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 13th | +5 | - | 13 | 6 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 14th | +5 | Assignment Feature | 14 | 6 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 15th | +5 | Focused Spell | 15 | 6 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 16 | 6 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — |
| 17th | +6 | - | 17 | 6 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — |
| 18th | +6 | Assignment Feature | 18 | 6 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 19 | 6 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 20th | +6 | Destructive Mastery | 20 | 6 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Class Features
As a warmage, you gain the following class features
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per warmage level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per warmage level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: Light Armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, Rapiers, Longbows.
Tools: Leatherworkers, Blacksmiths, Masons, or Woodcarvers' tools
Saving Throws: Dexerity, Intelligence
Skills: Choose two from Athletics, Arcana, Animal Handling, Medicine, or Survival
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) a simple weapon or (b) a martial weapon if proficient
- (a) a suit of leather armor or (b) scale mail if proficient
- (a) a longbow and 20 arrows or (b) 5 javelins
- an explorer's pack
Spellcasting
Your ability with spells is why you were trained. Your spells come by memorization and long practice.
See Spells Rules for the general rules of spellcasting and the Spells Listing for the warmage spell list.
Cantrips
At 1st level, you know four cantrips of your choice from the warmage spell list. You learn additional warmage cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Warmage table.
Spell Slots
The Warmage table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your warmage spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these warmage spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
For example, if you know the 1st-level spell burning hands and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast burning hands using either slot.
Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher
You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the warmage spell list.
The Spells Known column of the Warmage table shows when you learn more warmage spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 3rd level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the Warmage spells you know and replace it with another spell from the Warmage spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
Spellcasting Ability
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your warmage spells, since the power of your magic relies on your ability to remember and flawlessly execute complex incantations in stressful situations. 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 warmage 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 melee weapon with which you are proficient as a spellcasting focus for your warmage spells but you must be holding it to do so.
Squad Assignment
All warmages are trained for specific assignments based on the type of squad they normally accompany into hostile situations. Choose between the Line Infantry, Special Forces, Artillery, or Heavy Assault assignments.
Your choice grants you features when you choose it at 1st level and again at 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.
Power Siphon
Starting at 2nd level, you have learned to siphon off some of the energies that would otherwise be wasted when you cast your warmage spells. When you cast a warmage spell of 1st level or higher, you gain a number of siphon motes equal to half the spell's level, rounded up. You can have a number of motes equal to your level in this class at any one time--any extras generated are lost. Your accumulated siphon motes are reset to zero when you finish a long rest.
Siphon motes can be expended in many ways--each Squad Assignment provides its own uses. The most fundamental use is to empower spells. When you cast a warmage spell of 1st level or higher, you can cast it as if from a higher level slot by expending a number of siphon motes equal to twice the difference between the intended spell slot and the slot you expended. The spell acts as if it was cast out of that higher slot, but you do not regain motes from the cast or expend that higher-level slot. You cannot use this feature to upcast a spell more than one spell level above the highest level of slots you have.
Piercing Spell
Starting at 3rd level, you have learned to augment your spells to overcome resistance and immunity. When you cast a warmage spell of 1st level or higher that deals damage, you can expend one siphon mote to ignore defenses such as Magic Resistance. If the target has immunity to the damage type, you can choose to instead deal damage of a type they are not immune to. When you do so, the target takes the 1/4 of the normal damage of the spell.
Ability Score Increase
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.
Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.
Extra Attack
Starting at 5th level, you can attack twice instead of once when you take the Attack action on your turn. You can choose to cast a warmage cantrip instead of one (and only one) of the weapon attacks.
Spell Efficiency
Starting at 7th level, you siphon one mote when you cast a warmage cantrip.
Magic Sensitivity
Starting at 9th level, you have become sensitive to the flows of magic around you. You learn identify. Additionally, you learn detect magic (if you didn't already know it). These spells no longer count against your limit of spells known and you can cast them at will without spending spell slots to do so.
Dualcasting
At 11th level you can expend a siphon mote when you cast a spell. When you do so, the cast time changes to a Bonus Action.
Focused Spell
At 15th level, you've chosen one spell to specialize in. Choose one of your warmage spells. When you cast that spell, it always acts as if it is one level higher in all respects except the spell slot needed to cast it. You can siphon motes from it as if it was the higher level; when you expend motes to further enhance it, it acts as if it was the higher level for calculating the cost.
Siphon Mastery
At 20th level, you are even better at using siphoned energy. When you would gain motes normally, you gain twice as many as long as you have less than half your maximum.
