Wizard

Wizards are those without the innate ability to do magic, but never let that stop them. The lifeblood of the universe, arcane magic, is the source of all wizards’ power, and while they cannot draw upon magic as another caster might, they have learned to shape this magic in subtle ways by study and careful observation. Their spellbook details complex formulas, gestures, secret words, and items that can pull this permeation of magic from the air and turn it into fire, barriers, lightning, or even portals to other worlds. While other magic users are limited by their gods, or how much magic they can hold in their body, a wizard is only limited by his mind…and how many pages are in their spellbook.

Knowledge is Power

For years, scholars have tried to discover the secret to ultimate power. While many might argue on what that actually is and what truly is ultimate power, the Wizard would argue that knowledge is the vessel to get there. Your priests might sit in their temples worshiping near-omnipotent beings, and the wildmen of the forests might draw upon the grass and trees around them, both are dependent on someone or something else. A Wizard is their own source of power.

Each spell, each tome of power, each scroll unveils more and more of the secrets of the universe and in turn makes the Wizard more than he was before. Some Wizards share this knowledge with others while others hoard it for themselves, secreting it away lest others find their secrets and gain new insights from their work. Either way, a Wizard is not like those sages and scholars locked up in schools and towers, they travel the world seeking more knowledge.

Arcane Lifeblood

While other sources of magic exist, Wizards concern themselves with only arcane magic. Divine magic is limited by what the gods dictate, and primal magic is already refined by the world around us, but arcane magic is yet unchanged and nearly unlimited. Yes, divine magic has been shaped by the gods for mortals to use easier, and primal magic is easily absorbed by living things, but arcane can be shaped into anything the Wizard can think of.

Creating a Wizard

Creating a wizard character demands a backstory dominated by at least one extraordinary event. How did your character first come into contact with magic? How did you discover you had an aptitude for it? Do you have a natural talent, or did you simply study hard and practice incessantly? Did you encounter a magical creature or an ancient tome that taught you the basics of magic?

What drew you forth from your life of study? Did your first taste of magical knowledge leave you hungry for more? Have you received word of a secret repository of knowledge not yet plundered by any other wizard? Perhaps you’re simply eager to put your newfound magical skills to the test in the face of danger.

Quick Build

You can make a wizard quickly by following these suggestions. First, Intelligence should be your highest ability, followed by Agility and Cunning. Second, choose the sage background. Third, choose the Firebolt, Thunderclap, and Chill Touch cantrips, along with the following 1st-circle spells for your spellbook: Burning Hands, Grease, Mage Armor, Shield, and Magic Missile. Choose mystic for your Job class to supplement your out of combat casting.

Class Features

As a Wizard, you gain the following class features:

Health

Health Pool: 0

You add your Health Pool to your Health at level 1.

Vitality

Vitality Dice: 1d4 per Wizard level

Vitality at 1st Level: 4 + your Agility and Endurance

Vitality at Higher Levels: 1d4 (or 3) + your Endurance per Wizard level after 1st

Combat Skills

Weapons: Wizards start with simple weapon aptitude

Armor: No armor skill ranks

Defense: Trained in the Mental skill

Skill Ranks at 1st Level: 1 combat skill rank

Skill Ranks at Higher Levels: 1 combat skill rank per 3 Wizard levels after 1st

Skill Boosts at Higher Levels: 1 combat skill boost per 3 Wizard levels after 1st

Action Points: A Wizard uses Cunning when rolling Action Points

Your Spellbook

The spells that you add to your spellbook as you gain levels reflect the arcane research you conduct on your own, as well as intellectual breakthroughs you have had about the nature of the multiverse. You might find other spells during your adventures. You could discover a spell recorded on a scroll in an evil wizard’s chest, for example, or in a dusty tome in an ancient library.

Copying a Spell into the Book. When you find a wizard spell of 1st circle or higher, you can add it to your spellbook if it is of a spell circle you can prepare and if you can spare the time to decipher and copy it.

Copying a spell into your spellbook involves reproducing the basic form of the spell, and then deciphering the unique system of notation used by the wizard who wrote it. You must practice the spell until you understand the sounds or gestures required, then transcribe it into your spellbook using your own notation.

A first circle spell takes 2 hours and costs 50 gp to copy, with each circle above that adding 2 hours and 50 gp. The cost represents the material components you expend as you experiment with the spell to master it, as well as the fine inks you need to record it. Once you have spent this time and money, you can prepare the spell just like your other spells.

Copying from a Spell Scroll. A wizard spell on a spell scroll can be copied just as spells in spellbooks can be copied. Once copied over, the spell scroll is destroyed.

Replacing the Book. You can copy a spell from your own spellbook into another book—for example, if you want to make a backup copy of your spellbook. This is just like copying a new spell into your spellbook, but faster and easier, since you understand your own notation and already know how to cast the spell. You need to spend only 1 hour and 10 gp for each circle of the copied spell.

If you lose your spellbook, you can use the same procedure to transcribe the spells that you have prepared into a new spellbook. Filling out the remainder of your spellbook requires you to find new spells to do so, as normal. For this reason, many wizards keep backup spellbooks in a safe place.

The Book’s Appearance. Your spellbook is a unique compilation of spells, with its own decorative flourishes and margin notes. It might be a plain, functional leather volume that you received as a gift from your master, a finely bound gilt-edged tome you found in an ancient library, or even a loose collection of notes scrounged together after you lost your previous spellbook in a mishap.

Spellcasting

As a student of arcane magic, you have a spellbook containing spells that show the first glimmerings of your true power.

Cantrips

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

Spellbook

At 1st level, you have a spellbook containing six 1st-circle wizard spells of your choice. Your spellbook is the repository of the wizard spells you know.

Preparing and Casting Spells

The Wizard table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your wizard spells of the 1st circle and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must spend the appropriate action point cost and expend a slot of the spell’s circle or higher. You ignore the mana cost of the spell. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

You prepare the list of arcane spells that are available for you to cast. To do so, choose a number of arcane spells from your spellbook equal to your Intelligence + your wizard level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a circle for which you have spell slots. For example, if you’re a 3rd-level wizard, you have three 1st-circle and two 2nd-circle spell slots. With an Intelligence of 3, your list of prepared spells can include six spells of 1st or 2nd circle, in any combination, chosen from your spellbook. If you prepare the 1st-circle spell magic missile, you can cast it using a 1st-circle or a 2nd-circle 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 wizard spells requires time spent studying your spellbook and memorizing the incantations and gestures you must make to cast the spell: at least 1 minute per spell circle for each spell on your list.

Spellcasting Attribute

Intelligence is your spellcasting attribute for your wizard spells, since you learn your wizard spells through dedicated study and memorization. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting attribute. In addition, you use your Intelligence when making an attack roll with a wizard spell you cast or when setting the Spell Defense target.

Spell modifier = your spell rank + your Intelligence

Spell Defense = 8 + your spell rank + your Intelligence

Ritual Casting

You can cast an arcane spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag.

Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher

Each time you gain a wizard level, you can add two wizard spells of your choice to your spellbook. Each of these spells must be of a circle for which you have spell slots, as shown on the Wizard table. On your adventures, you might find other spells that you can add to your spellbook.

Arcane Studies

Choose an Arcane Study from the list of available studies, shaping your practice of magic. Your choice grants you features at 1st level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

Inscribed Ritual

You can also swap out prepared spells in combat. For half the AP of the spell circle + 1, you can trade out one prepared spell for another in your spell book. Your spellbook must be easily available to do this. You can do this a number of times equal to your Intelligence.

Arcane Recovery

You have learned to regain some of your magical energy by studying your spellbook. Once per day when you finish a short rest, you can choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined number that is equal to or less than half your wizard level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 6th circle or higher.

For example, if you’re a 4th-level wizard, you can recover up to two circles worth of spell slots. You can recover either a 2nd-circle spell slot or two 1st-circle spell slots.

Cantrip Formulas

You have scribed a set of arcane formulas in your spellbook that you can use to formulate a cantrip in your mind. Whenever you finish a long rest and consult those formulas in your spellbook, you can replace one wizard cantrip you know with another cantrip from the wizard spell list.

Talent

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you gain a Talent.

Spell Mastery

At 18th level, you gain mastery over five powerful spells and can cast them with little effort. Choose two 2nd-circle arcane spells, two 3rd-circle arcane spells, and one 4th-circle arcane spell in your spellbook as your signature spells. You always have these spells prepared, they don’t count against the number of spells you have prepared, and you can cast each of them once at their base circle without expending a spell slot. When you do so, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

If you want to cast one of your Signature Spells at a higher circle, you must expend a spell slot as normal. In addition, the Action Point cost of your spells is reduced by 1.

Archwizard

When you reach 20th level, you have achieved such mastery over certain spells that you can cast them at will. You no longer have 1st or 2nd circle spell slots, instead spells of the first circle and second circle can be cast at will for their Action Point cost only. If you want to cast these spells at a circle higher than 2nd, you must expend a spell slot as normal.

Your Spell Mastery spells now include one 5th circle spell in addition to your other spells.